The Truth is Out There
by schizophrenic genius
Summary: James and Lily Potter aren't their true selves. Neither are JorEl and Lara. Harry Potter and Clark Kent discover things they never imagined and that there's family to share the weight of the world. Smallville X HP, no slash, canon ships.
1. What Dreams May Come

The Truth is Out There

Summary: James and Lily Potter are not their true selves. Neither are Jor-El and Lara. Who are they? Harry Potter and Clark Kent find out things that they never would have imagined, and see that there is family out there to share the weight of the world with. Note: Smallville and Harry Potter crossover, slightly AU and no slash. Standard pairings. You know, Harry and Ginny, and Clark and Lois (sort of). This story happens after the Half Blood Prince, and during Smallville Season 5.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Author's Notes: I would highly recommend you to actually read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as well as watch Smallville so that you can understand this story better.

Chapter 1

What Dreams May Come

By schizophrenic genius

It was dark in Number Four, Privet Drive. Everyone was sleeping. However, one Harry James Potter, a soon-to-be seventeen-year-old wizard, was wide-awake. Thinking. Thinking. Thoughts were running through his head in an incoherent jumble. It was his birthday tomorrow, or maybe later. Harry couldn't sleep.

His mind ran to three other people a few meters away from him. On the bed to his left, snored Ron, his legs comically dangling on the edge of the bed. Hermione was curled up like a cat in the bed in front of Harry. Ginny was diagonally across the room to Harry, hugging her pillow so tightly as if someone would grab it from her. The reason they were there with him was that Harry was tasked by destiny to do something he really didn't want. He had to kill Voldemort. To do that, he had to kill the other parts of Voldemort's soul, called Horcruxes, before killing the deranged purist psychopath himself. That man, at least if he was a man, was the one responsible for the death of Harry's parents when he was a baby, but failed in killing him. Harry had to stop him before the insane Dark Lord ruins others' lives. And Ginny, Hermione and Ron being his real friends, stuck with him through thick and thin.

Harry stared up at the ceiling. He had been like this for hours now. He decided that a little walk might relax his mind and let him get to sleep. He looked at the clock. It said 11:00 pm.

Harry got up from bed and quietly navigated through the Dursleys' to the door. He was aware that an Order member would probably be on duty to watch over him. It was a good thing that Harry always brought his Invisibility Cloak with him. It was a habit he formed because of Dumbledore, before the old man was murdered.

He strolled quietly through the beautiful night. It was so quiet, that the only thing to be heard was the sound of the crickets chirping. He went to Magnolia Crescent, and felt with a pang, that that was where he saw Sirius Black for the very first time, albeit a dog.

He walked across the street to the part where no one minded who went there. It seemed to be a forest. Lucky for Harry, it had a path to follow. Being daringly stupid, Harry went in the woods. Strangely enough, it seemed as if it was calling to him, beckoning him to come in. Harry didn't mind, for he felt as if he was going into the safest place in the world.

He treaded on until he suddenly fell. He was extremely startled, and realized that he stepped on a hole covered with rotten planks. He fell face-first down into what seemed like an enormous cave. He stood up, surprised that he wasn't hurt at all.

_"Lumos," _Harry whispered, as the tip of his wand lit up. He gasped. It was as if he stumbled into history's most wonderful discoveries. Everything his wand light touched showed some sort of _alien _symbol. One of them looked like an infinity sign. As Harry grew closer, his heartbeat increased its pace. There was something about this cave that he knew concerned him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, came two figures. He recognized them immediately. He memorized every detail of their faces from his photo album.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

The woman whom he recognized as Lily Potter nodded. She had a tear in her eye. Suddenly, Harry's feet ran him towards her, and a man he recognized as James Potter. It was the first ever hug from his family that he remembered. Lily let go. She said, "We have something very important to tell you, Harry."

"I know we died, Harry. I'm sorry that we really couldn't tell you when we were alive. The two of us, your mother and I, are but mere essences."

"Harry, you might want to sit down first. What you will hear is rather shocking," Lily said softly.

Harry nodded and sat on a rock. "Okay, then. What is it that you want to tell me?"

"Well… Harry, to begin with, your name isn't really Harry Potter. Your name is Rah-El. And you're not exactly human…"

"What?"

James carefully continued, "Neither are our true names James and Lily Potter, Harry. Our real names are Jor-El and Lara."

Harry stared at them blankly. He heard James mutter to Lily that it was really a good idea to let him sit down.

James let out a sigh. "Okay. Let me start at the beginning. Your mother and I came from a distant planet called Krypton." Harry opened his mouth to speak, but James held up his hand and said, "Let me finish the story, son. As I was saying, we were from Krypton, so we would be considered as an alien species. Humans would have thought that we would have looked like little green men," James muttered while Lily laughed. He continued, "Of course, Harry, as you can see, you look exactly like a human. The only difference would be that you would have, like any other Kryptonian, abilities that no human would have ever thought possible."

"Abilities like magic?"

"No, Harry. This is not magic. These abilities are based on science. Extremely advanced science, as a matter of fact. Our Kryptonian physiology would allow us to do things that no human can do. Not even wizards," said Lily. Then she counted off, saying, "Our race can do things like carry extremely heavy weights, be virtually indestructible, run faster than a speeding bullet, see through solid stuff, shoot fire out of our eyes, hear with extreme acuteness, disintegrate matter, and fly. These abilities are very hard to control Harry, and it will take some time for you to master them."

Harry was shocked, but he managed to ask a question. "If Kryptonians could do all these, and had a hi-tech civilization, why did you go to Earth?" He noticed that his parents' expressions suddenly turned solemn.

"Well, Harry, it's a long story. But to tell you, well… Here's how it goes. When your father and I were very young, there was a civil war in Krypton. Both our families sent us to Earth to keep us safe from harm. The Potter family adopted Jor-El, and the Evanses, my family, adopted me. Both families knew what Jor-El, who they christened James, could do, and so did my parents, except for Petunia. Petunia hated me because she felt that I robbed my parents' attention from her. As kids, we both knew that we had abilities that others couldn't do, but we didn't know why. When we were eleven, we received our Hogwarts letters, and your father and I met each other for the first time," Lily spoke as she held her husband's hand.

James, or Jor-El, grinned. "I wouldn't forget that. You went on the train with chocolate milk in your hair."

Lily, or Lara, retorted, "Says the one who had corned beef all over his robes."

Harry laughed. He wished that this meeting would last forever, but he knew it would not. Best to make the most out of it.

"Anyway," James continued, "one day, I slipped. I was going down to the kitchens in the middle of the night, without my invisibility cloak, since I thought I would get away with it. Then when I saw McGonagall walking towards me, I zoomed away. I never noticed Lily, who was walking a few feet away from McGonagall doing Prefect patrol. She, however, still saw me run despite my speed. The next day, she had me cornered in an empty classroom. Then she said, 'Spill.'"

Lily took over, "He tried to do the innocent, 'Spill what?' but I saw through that. When I realized that I had the same abilities he had, I told him about my secret. We've finally found the one we've looking for - someone to share our secret with. We've been dating ever since."

Harry smiled. James added, "After that, we've been trying to figure out why we were different from others. We really researched a lot, and found a magical way to contact Krypton. We were about nineteen then. Lily and I flew to Krypton, where we realized that both our families were dead due to the war. There were survivors, however, who stayed to maintain the civilization."

Lily's face suddenly looked urgent. "Harry, you have to listen very carefully about what we have to say. After we got married in Krypton, Jor-El realized that history was going to repeat itself. Krypton was going to explode due to a war of different sub-cultures. Listen carefully. I then just gave birth to my first-born son. Harry, you have a brother. His name is Kal-El. When your father realized that the planet was going to be destroyed, he quickly built a small ship for him to go straight to earth to keep him safe. You brought Kal-El to the Kents, right Dad?" James nodded. Lily returned to her conversation. "However, James realized that there could still be time for us to survive. He built a second ship to earth, and we escaped moments before Krypton exploded. By that time, I was pregnant with you, Harry. I gave birth to you a few days after we landed on Earth, specifically England. We decided to settle down there and search for young Kal-El. When we realized that he was directly halfway across the world, we built a channel through the planet core but we never got to use it. Just after we made the finishing touches, Voldemort came into our house. James yelled at me to take you and run. However, due to the wards that were made, we couldn't. James was actually winning against the dark lord, when the commotion caused one of James' experimental kryptonite to go off. This sucked up James' powers. Voldemort, being the coward that he is, shot him while he was down with the Avada Kedavra. Then he came upstairs. Knowing that you couldn't defend yourself, being a baby, I placed myself before Voldemort with you behind me. That sacrifice saved you after he killed me. I wouldn't have died any other way." Lily shed her tears as James put his arm over her shoulder. They beckoned Harry to come. Harry realized that he was actually hugging his family.

Lily broke free, saying, "There's something else I need to tell you, Harry. At the opposite side of this world, this very same conversation is happening to your brother, except we are not telling him about his Kryptonian abilities, but his magical ones. I told you that this place acts as some sort of channel. Let me show you."

Behind the stone seemed to reflect an image. The image looked almost like Harry, except that he was slightly taller. "Kal-El," Harry said.

"Correct. Right at this moment, Harry, he is also discovering the family he never had before."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Correct. Right at this moment, Clark, he is also discovering the family he never had before."

Jor-El told Clark, "Find Harry, son, so that our family will once more be united."

Lara, or Lily said, "He needs you now, more than ever. Find him."

Clark felt a sigh of relief. He had family. He wasn't the only Kryptonian in the world after all. He backed away from the cave slowly, not wanting to end the meeting he had always longed for. He reached the open air and ran home at an unnatural speed to the barn.

"Mom!" Clark called. It was noon, and she was cooking at the moment.

"What is it, Clark?" Martha Kent asked.

"I have something to tell you. I came outside to have a walk last night. I couldn't sleep. Then somehow I landed in the cave again. Then I met Jor-El… and Lara. My biological parents."

"What?" Martha asked, suddenly awake.

"Yeah. And they told me… that magic exists. That I have a brother. And that both of us could do magic and Kryptonian abilities."

"Magic? And where's your brother supposed to be?"

"Actually, they told me, it's exactly halfway around the world."

His mom looked skeptical. "Clark, are you absolutely sure that they are telling the truth? This might be some other scheme to… you know."

Clark shrugged, "I don't know mom, but has Jor-El ever lied to me? He usually just gives me the big, hard truth all in one go."

"I suppose…" Martha was afraid that Clark might ask the big question.

"Mom, can I go? It's my _brother_ out there."

"Are you sure, son?"

"I've never been surer of anything in my life."

Martha hesitated, but succumbed. "Just make sure you make up a proper excuse to the other people on why you're leaving."

"Yes! Thanks mom! I love you so much!" Clark carried his mom and hugged her. "I promise I'll come back as soon as possible."

"I know you will, Clark. Take care."

In a flash, Clark had packed his things and gone to Chloe. He told her the whole truth, and her eyes enlarged as he told her the story.

In the end, Chloe's eyes turned glassy and she hugged him. "Good luck, Clark. I hope you and your brother go through things okay. See you soon."

"I'll miss you, Chloe."

"I'll miss you too, Clark. Or maybe you could get a computer out there so that I wont miss you so much. Contact me, okay?"

"Sure will. Just tell them that I went to a student exchange program to England and that you forgot the school's name."

Clark sped away. He didn't want to say goodbye to Lana and Lex. He just wanted to leave the past behind him and look to the future. In a matter of minutes, Clark Kent sped from Kansas to New York City. When he finally reached the pier, he realized that it was going to take days before he reached his brother. He couldn't wait that long, not for a super-powered teen. Remembering Bart, he sped over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean at the speed of light, hitting the English Channel in fifteen minutes or less, getting slightly wet in the process.

Clark Kent didn't know where Harry Potter lived. He thought of looking him up in a phone directory, when he suddenly heard the name being whispered by two people along the lines of, "The Potter boy did something weird in the Dursleys' again…"

Clark cut them off and said, "Excuse me, but do either of you know where Harry Potter lives?"

The two women gave him suspicious looks and said, "Why would you want to know?"

"Uh…" Clark thought hard, "I came here to, uh, tell his guardians about his grades."

They visibly relaxed, and one of them said, "Thought you were one of his fellow delinquents. Oh well, if you're here to teach him a lesson, go for it. He's in Number Four, Privet Drive, Surrey."

Clark wondered about the delinquent comment. Lara didn't say anything about his brother being a delinquent. Guess he'll have to find out, he thought as he sped through the English streets to find a suburban town. He finally reached Privet Drive. He rang the doorbell and waited for a few moments. He heard someone distinctly say, "Get the door, boy!" and a younger male voice answer, "Yes, Uncle Vernon." Surprisingly, instead of the door swinging open, it got ripped off its hinges.

Harry James Potter thought he was dead. On the first day that he comes to his powers, he slipped. Clark Kent, however, knew that this was the sign that the person behind the door was his brother. The moment Harry lowered the door, the brothers' jaws dropped to the floor in shock. They looked _exactly _alike! Except for Clark's eyes being more bluish that Harry's deep emerald ones, and that Clark was slightly taller. Both of them had the same build, the same features, and even the same hair! They both definitely looked like their fathers.

Harry spoke first and broke the silence, "You look just like me."

"And you look just like me. I guess this means-," said Clark.

"You're my…my…"

"Brother," Clark ended for him.

"I have a brother…" Harry muttered. He suddenly remembered his manners and said, "Harry Potter," while outstretching his hand.

"Clark Kent," Clark replied, taking it. They hugged. Both of them weren't able to believe that they actually had family. Clark never knew that there was another Kryptonian in the world, aside from the evil ones he met before. Harry never knew that he actually had a blood relative that would care for him.

"I see you haven't really got the hang of it yet," chuckled Clark, breaking the ice.

Harry looked sheepish and muttered, "Actually, no. I just got my 'powers' today. Right after mum and dad told me this morning. When I tried to get back to the house, I somehow ran too fast and landed in London. I haven't been moving much all day, I might have broken something." He didn't know why he was suddenly spilling out things to a person that he hardly knew. The person before him might be an impostor after all. However, something in his gut told him to trust Clark.

Clark laughed. He said, "Well then, I'll teach you how to use your powers, if you teach me to do magic."

"Deal," Harry said, shaking Clark's hand.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

To be continued.


	2. No More Pleasantries

The Truth is Out There

By schizophrenic genius

Summary: James and Lily Potter are not their true selves. Neither are Jor-El and Lara. Who are they? Harry Potter and Clark Kent find out things that they never would have imagined, and see that there is family out there to share the weight of the world with. Note: Smallville and Harry Potter crossover, slightly AU and no slash. Standard pairings. You know, Harry and Ginny, and Clark and Lois (sort of). This story happens after the Half Blood Prince, and during Smallville Season 5.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Another thing: I tend to put in quotes or lines that might have come from somewhere with a copyright and I did not put it in the disclaimer. Therefore, please tell me if anything sounds familiar, and if you know where it comes from, so I can write it down.

Author's Notes: I would highly recommend you to actually read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as well as watch Smallville so that you can understand this story better.

Chapter 2

No More Pleasantries

Clark laughed. He said, "Well then, I'll teach you how to use your powers, if you teach me to do magic."

"Deal," Harry said, shaking Clark's hand.

Suddenly, Vernon Dursley came thundering to the entrance. Harry tried to hide Clark and fix the door at the same time, but he wasn't quick enough. He hadn't gotten the hang of his powers yet.

"What the _devil _just happened?" roared Uncle Vernon. When he spotted the door off its hinges, he yelled, "What did you just do to the door?"

"Sorry, Uncle Vernon, it's just that… uh," muttered Harry. He wasn't ready to tell anyone his secret. Not yet.

Suddenly, Clark interrupted, "Sorry, sir. It's really my fault."

"Who in the bloody world are you?" Vernon asked. When he had a good look at Clark's face he walked a couple of steps back and turned white. He spoke, "You… you're one of their lot, aren't you?" He pointed to Harry.

At that moment, Aunt Petunia joined him, wondering about the noise. When she arrived, she said, "Good lord. Who are you? You're one of James' lot, aren't you?" It seemed that the two people really _were_ husband and wife. They followed the same sequence – curse, ask and confirm.

Just when Clark opened his mouth to ask who James was, Harry interrupted, "Actually, he is my cousin from my father's side. He just came – to get to know his family better."

Uncle Vernon seemed to have recovered and yelled, "I will not have another Potter in my house! One Potter has been trouble enough."

"Actually, my name is Clark Kent, Mr.?"

"Dursley," Harry supplied.

"Dursley. My biological father was Harry's uncle. He died when I was little, so I have the surname Kent, from my mom. That's why we didn't know each other until now," Clark said smoothly.

"I am not allowing it," said Uncle Vernon stubbornly.

"Oh, Uncle Vernon, you don't have to worry. If any trouble occurs, we will be responsible for it, since we are already of age," said Harry, a smirk playing on his lips. He knew exactly what to tell them. Telling them that they were of age meant that the Dursleys wouldn't be able to stop them from doing magic whenever they want. Both husband and wife paled before their very eyes. They suddenly seemed reluctant to ask what happened to the door. They frightfully assumed that it was magic, which was highly convenient for Clark and Harry.

"Alright, but I want that door fixed, understood?"

"Yes Uncle Vernon," droned Harry.

The Dursleys walked back to the kitchen rather quickly. The two brothers gave a sigh of relief.

"That was close," muttered Harry.

Clark nodded and said, "Too close."

Harry brought out his wand and muttered, _"Reparo!"_ so the door was instantly fixed.

Clark whistled, "That should come in handy."

"I know."

They entered the living room, where they immediately started talking.

"It's weird, isn't it? The way you know magic and I know Kryptonian abilities, and though we can do them both, we only did one of them," Clark wondered aloud.

"I have this theory. Maybe, it's because I was more exposed to a magically inclined environment like Hogwarts. So when I was in trouble, I used magic. You didn't know about magic, so you were naturally inclined to genetic abilities."

Clark brought his hands together in applause. "So smart. I wonder what other talents you have under your sleeve, little bro," he said in a teasing manner.

Harry rolled his eyes. He added, "I wonder if it has something to do with birthdays, though. I mean, I only realized my powers today, and it's my birthday."

"It's your birthday?" Clark asked, mildly surprised. "Well then, I'll have to buy you a present then. I'm sorry I didn't know earlier."

Harry said meekly, "Clark, you don't have to buy me a present."

"Of course I have to. Brothers, remember? I'll buy you something later if you don't mind?"

"No it's okay… Don't buy me a present."

Clark rolled his eyes. It was a losing battle, but he'll buy him a gift anyway.

Harry said, "Okay, so when we get in the house, how am I going to explain to my friends upstairs who you are?"

"Let's tell them the same thing we told the Dursleys. They don't know James Potter much, don't they?"

"No they don't. And I'll just tell my friends the same story. Just that from where you came from, there wasn't a wizard school, so you only know very rudimental magic. You grew up in a Muggle life. How does that sound?" Harry asked.

"Great. It's almost like the truth. Almost," Clark said, smirking.

He led Clark upstairs where Ron was still sleeping, Hermione poring over her books, and Ginny fixing her things. The two girls looked up at Harry, inquiring who the new guy was. Harry explained to them the story that he and Clark had planned. They bought it without question. Harry wasn't ready to tell them what he was. Not yet.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

At lunch, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Clark had a great time. Harry opened his present from Ron and Hermione, a small trunk, and gasped when he opened it. It was entirely bottomless. Care of Hermione, it also conjured things that Harry desired, much like the Room of Requirement. Ginny gave him a beautiful telescope that could not only see the stars and other things far, but see memories. It acted much like a pensieve, and Ginny put in some of her memories.

Later in the afternoon, Clark and Harry had the time of their lives. Clark showed Harry how to control his strength, while Harry taught Clark simple spells.

"Okay, it's like this. _Wingardium Leviosa!_" said Harry, swishing and flicking his wand.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ said Clark.

Hermione interrupted, "That's great, Clark. Just make the _gar _part a little longer." Hermione smiled. She didn't seem bossy like she did in first year. She knew where to set her limits now. Nevertheless, she was still a perfectionist.

"Okay then. _Wingardium Leviosa!"_

The red feather flew upward towards the ceiling. They smiled. They had a fast learner in their ranks.

Hermione clapped his hands together and said, "Okay, let's do the Full-Body Bind."

Great, thought Clark, we are going to do this all day.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They did indeed practice magic all day. By the time night came, they were all tired. Harry lay down on his bed and started thinking. Indeed, it was the greatest birthday he ever had. He had a brother. He observed the way they instantly became friends. They barely knew each other and the next ten minutes, they were acting like they were the best of friends. The reason was that they didn't have to be anybody but their selves.

The next morning, Harry woke up in a good mood. Everyone else was asleep. Everyone was there, except Clark. Harry went to the conjured bed and saw a note. What he saw made him pale.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm really sorry that I have to say goodbye right now. Chloe called and told me that there was trouble in Smallville, where I live. I'm sorry but I really have to go. I will return as soon as I can, I promise._

_Best,_

_Clark_

Harry reread Clark's letter. He already decided. He wasn't going to let Clark go alone. From the writing of his letter, which Harry assumed was done hastily, it meant that the "trouble" sounded dangerous. Besides, he wasn't going to lose his brother, not again. Yet how would he explain to Ron, Hermione and Ginny where he went? Just tell them the truth, his conscience said. He knew what would happen if he told them the truth. They would want to come with him to help him. He didn't want to drag them into another mess. Besides, they weren't Kryptonians, unlike the two brothers.

"Hermione, Ron, Ginny! Wake up!" Harry shook them one by one.

Ron muttered sleepily, "What is it, Haaarrryy?" with a wide yawn.

"I will be leaving for a few days," said Harry seriously, which set Ron and Ginny wide-awake all of a sudden.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I'm… going to Clark's adoptive mom. She's sick. He hurried back to her in Kansas. I guess she's my relative too. I have to go immediately."

"So Clark's gone? How did he go back to Kansas so quick?" asked Ginny.

"Well, he took the quickest airplane flight back to America," Harry lied, knowing perfectly well what method of transportation Clark used.

"Can we come with you?" Ginny inquired.

Ron muttered, "I don't think we should, Ginny. I mean, Harry's about to meet his family. So, I guess that we should sit out the trip." Harry secretly smiled in gratitude.

"Oh well. You're right, Ron," sighed Ginny in defeat.

"Okay, then, Harry. I guess you could take care of yourself, right? Have you packed already? Did you get the plane ticket?" Hermione asked frantically.

"Hermione, you don't have to mother Harry," said Ron.

Hermione teased back, "At this rate, I'm going to be like the mother because you are all so childish."

"Hey! We are all very mature here, thank you very much!" Ron retorted.

"Oh really? I had to get you to fix your things. It was a mess! You wouldn't have done it if I haven't told you to."

"Jeez, Hermione, you're starting to sound like my mother!" said Ron.

Hermione's face flushed as she said, "You're dead, Ronald Weasley!"

Ron had the sense to run and hide from a furious Hermione Granger. He ran from the room, Hermione hot on his heels.

It was just the two of them, Harry and Ginny.

"Some things never change."

"I know, Harry. Just promise me, when you come back, promise me that you won't change one bit. Always be the strong and loving person you are, okay?"

"And don't change one bit, either, Ginny. You are perfect the way you are. I will miss you so much."

"I love you, Harry."

"I know. And I love you too."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry walked away from Number Four, Privet Drive. When he was sure no one was looking, took out his wand and muttered, _"Point Me."_ He ran towards the west until he found a shoreline. "Now what?" Harry thought. Then it clicked. From Hermione's extensive reading, he remembered that there were some Muggles who ran over water because of great adrenaline, causing their intense speed. He had no problem with adrenaline here, he thought. He ran forward, slightly reluctant, but to his surprise, has was _actually_ running over water! He gave out a thrilled yell, and continued to run halfway across the globe though the Atlantic Ocean.

He landed in Boston. Recalling his geography, Kansas had to be the center of America, though inclined to the south. He did the Point Me spell again, and was on his way immediately. After several minutes of continuous yet tireless running, Harry's view changed from tall buildings to that of a cornfield everywhere he looked. From what Clark told him, his house would be in a farm, and when he spotted a big red barn and a house beside it. He went to the house and knocked on the door.

A red-haired woman whom he assumed was Clark's adoptive mother, Martha Kent, answered the door. She gave Harry a brief hug, which he received awkwardly, and said, "Oh hi, Clark. Back so soon? Did things with your brother go, well?"

This was the right house, it seemed. His similarity with Clark seemed to be more than Harry had assumed. He ran his hand over his neck and muttered, "Er, actually Mrs. Kent, I'm not Clark Kent, I'm Harry Potter."

Martha thought for a moment that he was kidding, but when she saw the serious look on Harry's face, she did a double take. She saw that Harry's eyes were greener, and his nose slightly shorter, and that he had a curious lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead. She wondered how he got it, but she'll have to ask later. Otherwise, everything about Harry and Clark's appearances were the same. (Harry no longer needed any glasses since he came to his powers.) She was surprised. She thought, maybe this boy is Clark's brother?

Harry confirmed her internal debate by telling him who he was. Mrs. Kent listened intently.

"Well then, I'm honored to meet you, Harry. Let's get inside. You must be hungry. I've got plenty of eggs, bacon, toast…"

Harry was strongly reminded of Mrs. Weasley and said, "Toast will be fine."

Martha brought out the bread and butter, while Harry helped set the table.

"Have you and Clark met already?" asked Mrs. Kent.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we have. He stayed in my Aunt and Uncle's house in Surrey last night. When I woke up, he was gone, and left a note saying that he had to leave because there was trouble here. I don't know exactly what trouble, but I came here first thing in the morning."

"That's funny. He hasn't shown up here yet. I suppose he's coming here soon," said Martha thoughtfully.

Right on cue, Clark burst through the door. He yelled, "Mom!"

"Hi Clark. There's someone - "

"Mom, is everything fine here? Are you okay?" asked Clark urgently.

"Why are you asking, Clark? Is everything alright?" Martha said with a frown.

"It's just that - " Clark began, but when he spotted Harry, he said, "What are you doing here, Harry? Aren't you supposed to be back in England?"

Harry raised his eyebrows and said, "Aren't you glad to see me, Clark? I came by to check on you. You left without saying goodbye."

"That's because… Chloe told me that Luthorcorp was doing something dangerous."

"_Again?"_ said Martha.

"Yeah. But this time, they took some samples of the black stuff Dr. Fine was made of from what remained of the ship, and tried to harness his abilities – our abilities, Harry. The thing is, it all went wrong. The black goop – I don't know what it's called – was turned into gas particles, and spread all over town. Lois, being one of the closest, was affected. She's now turning into some sort of woman with super strength, but with absolutely no brains and all brawn," said Clark very quickly.

"Wait, who're Lois and Dr. Fine?" asked Harry, slightly puzzled.

"Lois is a friend, and Dr. Fine is a guy made of a weird black substance who wanted to resurrect General Zod, another Kryptonian, back to life," said Clark simply.

"Oh, so now what do we do? Can we do something to get Lois back to normal?" Harry queried.

"Well, Harry, look. I think it's best for you to, you know, stay here. I mean, Mom needs - " Clark began, but was cut off with cries of indignation.

"Clark, I can take care of myself perfectly well," Martha said.

"Look, Clark. I may not know this place much, and I may not have totally controlled my abilities, but we brothers stick together, right? Besides, I'm the wizard here. I have experience too. I can help you in more ways than one," Harry reasoned, feeling like he was applying for a job or something.

Clark looked as if he was about to object, but he finally agreed. Harry let out a breath he realized he was holding. Martha just smiled.

"So how do I explain Harry here?" said Clark.

"Just tell them that I'm your long lost cousin. They'll buy it, 'cause they know you're adopted, right?" said Harry.

"Yeah. That's good. Uh, Mom, we have to go now," Clark murmured.

"Alright boys, be careful," Martha said.

"We will," said Harry, as he and Clark zoomed away.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

AN: I borrowed a line from "High School Musical" from Gabriella which goes like, "Do you remember when we were kids, we barely knew each other and ten minutes later, we were acting like we were best friends for a long time? That's because we didn't have to be anybody but ourselves." And I also borrowed the title from the X-Files theme: The Truth is Out There.


	3. Knowledge is Power

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Another thing: I tend to put in quotes or lines that might have come from somewhere with a copyright and I did not put it in the disclaimer. Therefore, please tell me if anything sounds familiar, and if you know where it comes from, so I can write it down.

Knowledge is Power

Chapter 3

"Yeah. That's good. Uh, Mom, we have to go now," Clark murmured.

"Alright boys, be careful," Martha said.

"We will," said Harry, as he and Clark zoomed away.

Harry followed Clark through the small town of Smallville. Clark led the way by a foot as they sped through the various shops. Harry noticed a shop with an enormous sign called The Talon. He followed Clark until he stopped in front of a huge manor.

"Where are we, Clark?" Harry asked as he saw the mansion. He was impressed as he gazed across the garden. It looked like half the size of Hogwarts.

"Lex Luthor's house," said Clark simply.

"I suppose I'll know this Lex Luthor when we meet him, right?" Harry asked. Clark nodded but said nothing.

Clark walked into the stately mansion, and pushed open the double doors to Lex's office.

Lex Luthor, a young man born rich, was completely bald. He had a confident stride as he wore his expensive suit. There was, however, something not right. Harry couldn't put his finger on it. Lex turned around.

"Hello Clark. To what pleasure do I owe this visit?" said Lex in a calm manner.

"Lex, you know what it is. Luthorcorp has been on the roll again. And this time, they used the black substance from the ship that landed here," said Clark with all severity.

"Always blunt, aren't you, Clark? As for what you are saying, I don't know what you're talking about," Lex said in an unruffled manner.

"Don't lie to me, Lex. I know you're responsible for this. Because of you, Lois is now some sort of strong zombie," said Clark. Harry was confused at Clark's attitude, but he understood somehow. Something was really wrong with this guy and his gut told him that his expression was only a façade.

Lex raised his eyebrows to show his surprise. "Pretty big accusations, don't you think, Clark? I have nothing to do with what happed to Lois." Lex's eyes swiveled to Harry. He said, "I see you have a friend along with you. Care to introduce us?"

Harry, who had been trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, stepped out of the shadows. He watched the young billionaire carefully, as he and Lex shook hands. Clark introduced Harry to Lex and vice versa.

"It's a pleasure," said Lex.

"Charmed, I'm sure," said Harry with equal coolness. Harry knew how to deal with people like these. It unnerved him, however, that he was starting to sound like Dumbledore.

"Harry's my cousin. We came across each other in England," said Clark.

"Ah, England. I've been there a few times. It was a good experience," said Lex politely.

"I find this country just as pleasant," said Harry carefully.

Lex turned to both Clark and Harry, "So you two are cousins?"

Clark nodded.

"Funny, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were brothers," said Lex as he poured out some wine. Luckily, he had his back turned, so that he didn't see the brothers' uncomfortable expressions.

Clark thought that this was taking too long. He said, "Look, Lex, unless you are willing to give us any information telling us how to reverse the effects of the black substance from Lois, we really have to go. That is, unless you are going to tell us that you were responsible."

"Once again, Clark, I have nothing to do with it. Besides, I'm not the sole owner of Luthorcorp."

Harry and Clark discreetly shared dubious looks. Clark turned and said sarcastically, "Thanks for the help, Lex." And then they departed.

"No problem at all, Clark. No problem at all," Lex muttered, smirking to himself.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry and Clark were back outside. Their meeting with Lex was of absolutely no use. Both of them, especially Clark, felt extremely frustrated.

"Now what?" asked Harry.

Clark, silent for a moment, and said, "Maybe Jor-El has the answer…"

"What? Oh you mean Dad?" Harry thought for a moment about this simple exchange. Harry called James, also known as Jor-El, "Dad" because it was natural to him.

Clark thought along the same lines. He wasn't ready to replace his dad, Jonathan Kent, anytime soon and start calling Jor-El "Dad" the way Harry does. Jor-El was just his biological father. His experiences with him in the past wouldn't be called very pleasant. Well, they weren't enjoyable until his most recent meeting with him. It probably had something to do with his mother around. With Lara there, he seemed… happier. Clark came out of his reverie as he shook his head.

"Am I right in saying it is in one of the weird caves in this side of the world?" Harry asked with a touch of humor.

"Yeah. That's right. Maybe we can get to see a few sights in it," said Clark cryptically. And without a word, Clark zoomed to the familiar Kawatche cave, with Harry right behind him.

Clark led him down an opening to an enormous cave and brought out his flashlight as Harry muttered, _"Lumos!" _As Clark didn't have a wand yet, only borrowing from Ron when he did a few spells, he had to stick to the muggle device.

The first thing Harry noticed was the enormous amount of symbols that he couldn't decipher. Before Harry could ask Clark what they meant, Clark was already in the middle of the cave, with a firm look of concentration on his face. Suddenly, a gleaming pillar of light fell on Clark.

"Hello, Jor-El," said Clark.

"Hello, Kal-El and Rah-El," said an ethereal voice in reply. It had some semblance to the voice of James Potter that Harry knew, but this one seemed more… unearthly.

Harry stepped into the light as well and said, "Hi Dad." It was easier to say than 'Jor-El' anyway.

"Look, Jor-El, do you know how to help Lois? She's a friend of mine," said Clark, as Harry could almost feel Jor-El raise his eyebrow, though unseen. Clark continued, "There's some sort of virus spreading all over Smallville, created by the silver Kryptonite that Dr. Fine was made of. She's now a mindless girl with superhuman strength."

"Son, the only way to help your _friend_," Jor-El said as Harry almost laughed at the stress of the word, "Is to use a powdered mixture of red and green Kryptonite. You two must be very careful in handling them, and one of you must be able to keep the other safe."

Clark's face fell at the prospect of having to use Kryptonite, but he knew it was the only way. He said, "Thanks… Dad." Harry smiled behind Clark.

"Kal-El, Rah-El, you must both remember that you are brothers. Know that you should always be there for each other, and that you are the last sons of Krypton left. Support each other, teach each other and live through each other. Remember that. "

"We will, Dad," said Harry and Clark.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry and Clark had quite a hard time doing as Jor-El requested. Clark took out a large piece of Kryptonite out of nowhere, his hands shaking from its radiation. Harry made to help Clark, but Clark refused. He told him that he was much more used to it than Harry.

Harry realized that the two of them weren't really as invincible as he thought. Clark explained to him the effects of green Kryptonite after meeting with Jor-El, and Harry wasn't too happy about it either. He had an idea of its effects, having been closer to the Kryptonite than Clark would have wanted to, and instinctively backed away.

Clark laid the piece of Kryptonite down on a sheet of lead he found in the barn. He backed away for a while regaining his strength.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked concernedly.

"Yeah, just give me a minute."

"So what do you do after putting them on the lead?" asked Harry.

"You fold up the lead, because that's the only metal that blocks the radiation, and then crush it."

"Alright." Harry made to do exactly as Clark told, but Clark stopped him.

"No, let me do it."

Both of them realized something. They were more than just brothers. They were brothers with hero complexes. But that didn't stop them from trying to take each other's load.

Harry rolled his eyes and went to the glowing meteor rock quicker than Clark could say, "Stop." He raised his wand and thought of a spell, effectively wrapping up the Kryptonite within.

"I guess that's one way to do it," said Clark.

Harry smiled and lifted the lead. He applied some pressure and felt the destructive mineral get crushed to pieces underneath his hands.

"Is this correct?" asked Harry.

"You're doing it just right," said Clark. "There's one other problem. Red Kryptonite."

"Why?" Harry inquired in curiosity.

"Well," Clark said with some uncertainty, "Red Kryptonite makes us… have no conscience. The mind is acting only for personal gain."

"Really?" Harry replied. "So you mean to tell me that we turn evil upon exposure?"

"Actually, yes."

"Heck, we really need to get this over with quickly. I don't want to turn into Voldemort."

"Who's Voldemort?"

Harry realized that he didn't tell Clark about his sticky situation yet. He was going to tell him, but not now, they had a job to do.

"Tell you later, Clark. Right now we have to save Lois."

Clark raised his eyebrows in curiosity but continued nevertheless. Once the same procedure happened to the Red Kryptonite without incident, the two of them sped off to Lois.

When Clark and Harry arrived, they saw Lois in the very middle of a chaotic room. Furniture was upturned, lamps were crashed, and the source of all the mess wasn't looking very good. Lois continued to destroy everything in their midst, oblivious to her visitors. Harry winced as an oil painting came smashing into the television.

"Let's get this over with," said Clark as he strode towards Lois with the powdered Kryptonite in led held in his left hand.

Lois, in her state, was completely savage and was no help whatsoever. She pushed Clark, resulting in him tumbling back a few feet.

"Seems she really is strong," said Harry as a matter-of-factly.

"You're not helping, Harry."

Harry moved forward to pin Lois to a wall, but she was too strong. In the struggle, the two of them rolled to the floor, each one trying to pin the other. Lois growled as she pushed Harry and tried to pin him with ferocity that could match Wolverine's. Clark came to help. Both Harry and Clark cornered her with their super speed, and with two of them and one of her, Lois eventually gave up. Or so they thought. After about a second, Lois suddenly fell unconscious. They were pretty sure it had nothing to do with their strength. It was the silver Kryptonite.

"Damn it," said Clark in frustration.

"Bloody hell," muttered Harry.

Clark quickly brought out the lead-covered Kryptonite mixture. He held the opening to her nose, hoping that she would breathe the powder in. Lois' eyes fluttered open. She said, "What happened, Smallville? What am I doing on the floor?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Pleased to finally meet you, Harry. I'm Chloe Sullivan," said Chloe within the walls of the Daily Planet. She, along with Clark, Harry and Lois, were the only ones left.

"Great to meet you too, Chloe," Harry said with all sincerity.

"Chloe's one of the best reporters I've ever come across. She's like a living encyclopedia," said Clark proudly.

Chloe laughed, and said, "Is that an insult or a compliment?"

They all laughed.

"So, Harry, Clark, how did you manage to stop me from fighting? I mean, I was actually pretty savage, wasn't I?" Lois asked.

"Yeah, you were rather… savage," said Clark teasingly. "Had to pin you down with a couple of metal bars to get you to stop throwing us around. Then you just blacked out."

Harry saw Chloe have a mix of expressions on her face. It was as if she was smirking and frowning at the same time. Before he could wonder further, Lois asked, "So you and Clark are cousins, huh?"

Harry nodded.

"More like brothers, though," said Lois. "You two look pretty darn alike."

Clark and Harry exchanged a look before Clark said uncomfortably, "Yeah, so we were told. Dominant genes, I guess."

Harry almost snorted. Their dad had _pretty _dominant genes, all right. He remembered how much he was told that he looked like James Potter save for his eyes. Clark seemed to look like James a lot too. That fact inevitably made the brothers look alike. Unnervingly alike.

"Well, as much as I'd love to continue this chat, I really have to go," said Lois, "I still have a lot of laundry to sort out. Bye." And with that, she left.

The moment Lois left, Chloe turned on the two of them and said in a firm voice, "Alright, you two, what's _really _going on? From what I see, Harry's your brother, right, Clark?"

Harry was very surprised. How did she decode that? Does she even know who we are?

"It's okay, Harry. She knows" Clark said as if he read his mind. He added in murmur, "And I really trust her."

Harry visibly relaxed and said, "Yeah, as a matter of fact, we are brothers."

"Pleased to meet the brother of the superhero Clark Kent," said Chloe with her hundred-watt smile. Harry smiled in return. She continued, "I hope matters are not as weird over there in England as here in Smallville."

Harry looked at Clark with an inquiring look, to see how much he could tell Chloe. When Clark nodded back, Harry faced her, smiled wryly and said, "More weird that you could ever imagine."

"What do you mean?" asked Chloe with a look of sudden curiosity and interest.

"Chloe, do you believe in magic?"

"Yeah… I guess so. I mean, I was possessed by a witch once." Chloe couldn't help remembering being possessed by Isabelle Theroux's sidekick.

Harry looked slightly surprised but plowed on. "Well, I'm a wizard. And so is Clark."

After fifteen minutes, Chloe's jaw was hanging open. She never actually believed in magic going about in a hidden community, but there was evidence. Harry turned her pen into a sparrow and back again. He told her about the magical world, and both she and Clark listened intently.

"And Clark's a wizard too?" said Chloe.

"Yeah, but he's just known for a few days. Just like I've only discovered my being Kryptonian. Right now, I can only control my strength and speed. I don't know about my other _abilities,_ though," said Harry as a matter-of-factly. He left out the troubles like Voldemort, figuring that he had to tell Clark first, and besides, he didn't know how Chloe would react at that information. Furthermore, he still didn't want to think about the task that loomed ahead of him.

"Wow…" said Chloe, looking dazed.

"That's pretty much the way I reacted when I first discovered magic," said Clark.

They all laughed again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They were back in the Kent house. It was eleven o' clock, and Harry was rather sleepy. They went to Clark's room. Clark went over one of the seats as Harry looked around.

"It's not much," said Clark tentatively, strongly reminding Harry of Ron Weasley.

"It's _brilliant,_" said Harry such great sincerity that Clark smiled.

Clark put a metallic octagonal disk on the table before removing his jacket. Harry wondered what it was. However, his sleepiness overtook him and he plopped down to the bed that Clark brought from the storm cellar. He didn't even bother to change.

When he woke up, he saw that it was still dark. He looked around and saw Clark sleeping on the other bed. He sat up, knowing that once he woke up, he wouldn't be able to sleep again, especially with the dream he had. He was back in the cave, and had the octagonal disk in his hand. He saw himself putting the disk into a hole its exact same shape. Then he woke up.

His eyes scanned the room and saw the disk on the same place he last saw it. He stood up quietly, not wanting to wake Clark, and picked up the disk. He examined it closely. It had three different marks on the sides, and one of them looked like an infinity sign in a pentagon. Whatever they were, Harry wanted to know its secret.

He quietly opened the door. Confident and slightly foolish at the same time, Harry zoomed away from the Kent farm to the legendary Kawatche cave. He looked for the hole he saw in his dream. He spotted it there, the very same one, and walked over to it. There were a lot of symbols surrounding it in an octagonal fashion. Slowly, tentatively, he put the key in the hole. What he saw was something he expected the least.

The symbols turned red, yellow and blue and started spinning. They sort of produced an opening and before Harry knew it, solid red, yellow and blue light shot out to him. He tried to duck, but it was too fast. The next thing he knew was pain… and knowledge. Kryptonian knowledge. It was being stored in his brain at such an alarming rate that it made him yell. He felt being lifted up by the light as it stored the Kryptonian language and culture to his brain like a computer. And then he fainted.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\


	4. The Veil Removed

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Author's Note: Read and REVIEW. If you like (or don't like) my story, please do so, especially if you have added it in your favorites or alerts. By the way, this story has slightly skipped over the season finale. I mean, everything is now resolved, and the world is back to normal. Lex now has free rule over his body, Chloe's reporter life is now restored, Lana is still Lex's girlfriend, Dr. Fine is dead, with a few notes dropped behind, and Clark is back on earth, walking and talking.

Chapter 4

The Veil Removed

Harry's eyes fluttered open. He was still in the Kawatche cave. His head hurt as if it was squeezed like a sponge. Seeing the symbols around him, he was shocked. His head pounded as he realized he could _understand_ the symbols. He looked around and found the octagonal key imbedded into the wall.

Yeah, it's a key, all right. It must have been the cause of the entire information overload, thought Harry as he marveled at his newfound knowledge. He felt like a computer downloading information. Here and there, he saw symbols saying things about destiny and hope, for some reason. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Harry? Where are you?" It was Clark's voice.

"Clark?" Harry said croakily.

"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you ever since I woke up. What are you doing here?" Clark asked, hurrying to the spot where Harry lay.

"I had this dream – the key, I was putting it into the cave wall – then I had this urge to go here," said Harry vaguely.

Clark now had an idea what was going on. He said with a smile, "Did the symbols go spinning and making a big flash of light go through you?"

"Yeah. How do you know?" Harry asked with curiosity.

"The same thing happened to me, which should mean that you can read the Kryptonian symbols now, am I right?" Clark replied.

"Yeah, and my head hurts too."

Clark chuckled. He went to the octagonal key, imbedded into the wall. He took it out and saw the nearby circle of hieroglyphics. He suddenly frowned.

"What is it, Clark?"

He just pointed to the part of the cave wall he was looking at. Harry approached him and frowned in confusion at what the symbols said. He read,

The two of the last shall unite

And follow the path of what is right.

Both shall show their godlike might

That Sol's third planet may have the sight.

Harry repeated the words in his head like he did the prophecy. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact… I don't know," said Clark, wearing the same confused look that Harry wore.

"May have the sight…" Clark repeated.

"So that they can see… what?"

"I don't think we can figure this out now, Harry," said Clark somberly, "Hey, now that we're here, there's something I want to show you."

"What is it?"

Clark smiled and went through a gap in the cave wall, where Harry found a stone table containing a slot. Clark inserted the octagonal key in the slot and took it out again.

The world changed around Harry. He was no longer in the dark cave. He was out in the open, in what seemed to be a snowy plain. His jaw dropped. How did that happen? Clark went on to an enormous structure with seemed to be made of crystals. It was breathtaking.

"Welcome, Harry, to the Fortress of Solitude."

The Fortress of Solitude seemed only to be simply made of crystal and nothing else, and yet it looked so magnificent.

"Wow…"

"I know," said Clark.

"So you have it all to yourself? Where exactly is this place?" Harry asked in wonder.

"It's mine, I guess, but I'm not really sure where on the planet this is. Or even what planet."

"So it's hidden? Cool! You have a real hideout, don't you?"

Clark grinned, "Yeah, pretty much."

"It's perfect," said Harry in wonder, "Even to hide from Voldemort's attacks."

Clark heard the name again and said, "Harry, who exactly is this Voldemort person? I know he's the one who killed our parents, but what happened to you and him after that?"

Harry sighed deeply. He began, "Sixteen years ago, Voldemort Mum and Dad with the _Avada Kedavra_. He was, generally, the terror of the wizarding world, for he wanted to kill all those who have no magic. The curse rebounded, and instead of killing me, separated Voldemort's soul from his body, and has been hiding years after. Professor Dumbledore, the former headmaster of Hogwarts, brought me to the Dursleys, my last remaining relatives. When I turned eleven, I discovered I was a wizard, and I went to Hogwarts."

Harry looked at Clark and found out he was listening very intently. He continued, "In my first year, I met Ron and Hermione, and we saved the Sorcerer's Stone together from Voldemort's possessed body. In second year, we found a diary containing the memory of Voldemort and I killed the memory in the Chamber of Secrets. In third year, I met my godfather, Sirius Black, who was a runaway prisoner of Azkaban, but was really innocent. In my fourth year, Voldemort used my blood to return through the Triwizard Tournament. We went to the Department of Mysteries in my fifth, and after that, I found that I was destined to kill Voldemort. And on my sixth… And on my sixth, Dumbledore told me about Tom Riddle, alias Voldemort's history. We found that he had Horcruxes."

"What are Horcruxes?" asked Clark, his brow furrowed.

"They're objects in which Voldemort put pieces of his soul. If his body does die, the other pieces will find out some way to return to the living." Harry's eyes assumed a grave look in them.

"What? How does he do that?" said Clark in puzzlement.

"He killed to put his soul into several pieces, but I don't know how he put them there. It's my job to destroy the Horcruxes, so that the self-stylized Dark Lord will be vanquished."

"Well, wherever you go, I'll come with you," Clark said with sincerity in his eyes.

Harry looked surprised and said, "You will? I mean, I'm… glad for the offer, but…"

Clark knew exactly what was on his mind, "Harry… You don't have to do everything, you know. Just because you're destined to kill Voldemort doesn't mean you mustn't have any help. You have me, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and a lot of other people to back you up."

"But, I may be the reason - "

"You won't be the reason that we will all be in danger. You don't give us enough credit. We can take care of ourselves. I know I can. I faced a lot of dangerous things already. This will be a piece of cake."

"What do you mean dangerous things?" asked Harry in concern.

"Well, you would never believe it," grinned Clark.

"I had my fair share of eccentric adventures. Tell me yours," Harry goaded.

Harry was shocked. He never realized that Clark's life was just as loaded with weird experiences as his own life. From the great assortment of "meteor freaks" to the Luthorcorp schemes, as well as the Kryptonian technology Clark encountered, Harry thought that life on Smallville was some sort of adventure TV series.

"So silver Kryptonite is poisonous too? What other kinds of Kryptonite are there anyway?"

"Silver Kryptonite can make us paranoid, and black Kryponite kind of… divides a person into two different personalities."

"I can imagine…" Harry said in a grin.

"Look, I think we have to get back. Mom will be looking for us," Clark said.

When they had gone back to the Kawatche cave, they realized that they weren't alone, as they had thought. Inspecting the caves was Lex Luthor.

Clark frowned and asked, "What are you doing here, Lex?"

To their very surprise, Lex turned around with a rock in his hand. Green Kryptonite. The effect was immediate. Clark, who was nearer to Lex, felt his knees weaken. Harry backed away into the shadows, but he also felt it.

"Surprised, Clark?" said Lex. "I should have known ever since I bumped into you back on the bridge. Don't be too surprised."

"How did you know, Lex?" said Clark in a strangled voice.

"With all the mounting 'events' that went around you, a few facts that Dr. Fine told me a few months ago, it was really easy to decode. But Lionel told Lana your kind's only weakness," said Lex in a vindictive stance.

"Stop it, Lex."

Lex whirled around. In the darkness stood Harry, trying to look unaffected by the Kryptonite. His wand was pointed to Lex threateningly.

"If it isn't Harry Potter. Is that stick supposed to stop me?" said Lex.

"As a matter of fact, yes." And with that, Harry yelled, _"Petrificus Totalus!"_ Lex's body stiffened, and fell to the floor with a crash. He put the Banishing Charm on the Kryptonite and helped Clark up. "Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, thanks. I just wished I had the sense to back away," Clark said ruefully.

"You were nearer to the Kryptonite, you couldn't have. Now let's make Luthor boy let it all out," Harry said, his expression unreadable. He pulled out something from his pocket. It was a vial of Veritaserum. Ever since Dumbledore died, he had always been bringing things of the sort around.

"This potion forces the drinker to tell the truth," Harry explained as he poured the potion into Lex's mouth. He muttered, _"Finite Incantatem!"_

Lex suddenly coughed and sputtered as he swallowed the liquid. His eyes suddenly glazed over.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded.

"Alexander Luthor," Lex answered in a monotone.

Clark asked, "Why did you attack me?"

"I wanted to find a way to harness your powers, much like that of Dr. Fine's. I would make me very powerful, both physically and figuratively, and perhaps make me the richest man in the world," replied Lex malevolently.

The brothers' faces turned dark. Clark asked, "Is Lionel involved in this scheme?" He feared that Lionel would give him away.

To their surprise, Lex said, "No."

"How exactly did you know about me?"

"I have always been suspicious that you weren't a normal human. As I observed you, you and Dr. Fine seemed to have a few things in common. You both do things without any satisfying explanation. When I tried to use Kryptonite on Fine, he didn't react to it, but told me that he was only created by your kind, which had similar abilities. "

"Well, _that_ explains a lot," muttered Harry.

"Do you know what happened to Fine?" Clark demanded.

"No."

Clark hesitated, and asked, "Lex, do you love Lana?"

Harry looked up. He remembered seeing a picture of pretty girl named Lana in the barn. She and Clark were holding each other in an embrace. She's probably his ex-girlfriend, since Clark didn't really talk about her much.

"I believe so."

Clark's expression was unreadable. Suddenly, Harry muttered, _"Obliviate!"_

Lex looked even more dazed than before, and asked, "Oh, hi, Clark. What am I doing here?"

"_Stupefy!" _Harry yelled. Lex slumped over.

"What did you just do?" Clark yelled, almost panicking.

"He knows too much, both regarding Kryptonians and magic. I modified his memory so that he won't remember ever suspecting you and attacking us."

He let out a sigh and said, "You're right, Harry. Better safe than sorry."

Moments later, Lex was dozing off in his mansion, having forgotten all that had happened.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Harry's head was turning in all directions as he walked the halls of Kansas State University. He asked Clark to bring him along, never having been to an American college before, or even an American school. It was much more _modern_ compared to Hogwarts' torches and dungeons. Clark was chuckling behind him as Harry gaped at everything in the vicinity.

They went to the Literature classroom. As they walked to get a seat, a woman who reminded Harry of the Gryffindor Tower's Fat Lady, went in and said in a surprisingly loud and commanding voice, "Good morning, class!"

"Good morning, Professor Darbus!" the Literature class chorused.

She launched on a long-winded lecture about Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth, occasionally describing insane people. Harry got bored and started to look around. People here were pretty much normal. He started fidgeting as a blonde girl two rows behind him smirked flirtatiously. Being stared at for being the Boy-Who-Lived was one thing, but being checked out for his looks was another. He tried to look at anything but her. As he stared at the wall, wondering what was happening in the classroom next to theirs, his vision turned… weird. Everything around him seemed to have turned transparent. He couldn't help it as he yelled, "Bloody hell!"

Clark turned to face Harry, who was closing and opening his eyes in the hopes of getting his vision back to normal. "What's going on?" Clark asked him.

"It's my eyes – there's something wrong with them. I can see, but _hell, _I can see _through _things! Everyone looks like a skeleton or something!" Harry muttered in slight panic.

Clark looked up and saw that everyone was staring. He tugged at Harry's arm and muttered, "Follow my lead." He spoke loudly, "Uh, sorry, Professor Darbus, my cousin Harry has to go to the clinic. He's not feeling well." At that, Harry feigned pain.

"And what, may I ask, is the problem?" asked Professor Darbus.

"Migraine, Professor Darbus," said Clark simply.

Professor Darbus frowned but said, "Alright, you may go."

Clark ushered Harry out of the classroom and into the empty corridor. He had no intention of bringing Harry to the clinic at all.

"Okay, what's happening to me?" asked Harry worriedly.

"Relax, Harry. It's actually just x-ray vision. All you have to do is concentrate."

Harry tried but his vision remained the same. He muttered, "It's pretty hard to concentrate when what you're seeing looks like a freak show of a computer game…"

Clark thought for a moment and decided on a different approach. He took out something from his backpack. It was a two-inch thick calculus book. He looked at Harry and told him, "See this book?" Harry nodded. Clark continued, "Okay, focus on reading the title page. Make your eyes go from looking _past _the book, to directly at it."

Harry did so, and saw that his vision returned to normal, humane 20-20. He breathed a sigh of relief and uttered, "It worked! Yes!"

"If you want to switch your sight to x-ray vision mode again, just do the opposite of what you just did. Concentrate on looking past the thing, and it'll happen."

With a look of concentration, Harry appreciated x-ray vision for the first time. Through the walls of the classrooms, he saw the skeletons of the professors talking and the students taking down notes. It was rather unnerving, but the ability could be useful nonetheless.

"This is… weird, but cool. Ever used this to look in the girl's bathroom, Clark?" Harry asked teasingly.

"Me, look at the girl's bathroom?" Clark said in his best innocent voice. They burst out laughing.

Harry asked, "Hey, Clark, can you teach me how to use our other abilities soon? I mean, I might need it sometime."

"Yeah, sure, Harry, but we'll do it one by one. Discovering that you have abilities so powerful can be quite overwhelming," said Clark in a kind voice. The bell rang. Clark spoke, "Come on, we have to go to History class. Professor Chapman might kick me out."

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Lex sat in his office, trying to mull over his thoughts. He couldn't. There was an unreachable part of his brain. A gap in his memory. He couldn't remember what happened to him the day before. It was frustrating. The sound of the opening of a pair of double doors shook him from his reverie as he looked up. It was Lionel Luthor, his supposed father.

"Hello, Dad. How nice of you to drop by," Lex said in a cool, calm and collected manner.

"Hello, Lex," Lionel said with equal coolness, "I assume you know what had happened to the Metropolis branch of Luthorcorp."

"Why, yes. My secretary told me this morning."

With seriousness in his eyes, Lionel spoke, "Then I assume that you would know the reason why there was a disastrous mess in Luthorcorp."

Lex paused and said with a little hesitation, "No, dad. The event that seemed like a raid of the company does not make any sense to me."

Lionel's face turned from simply serious, to extremely grave. "Lex, from the extremely tight security at Luthorcorp, it is barely possible to steal anything from it. And yet, the thieves executed their plan with all careful preparation, leaving no evidence behind. It was probably very hard to do."

"And your point is?"

"My point is, these people have worked very hard to get whatever they wanted they Luthorcorp. It must be pretty big for them to go through such an expensive and flawless operation. And with their very careful process, I think these aren't any small-time thieves, Lex. You have to be careful. Whatever you have might be your glory or your demise."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Lex innocently.

"Lex, all I want is to guarantee your well-being. I do not know what you are doing with your share of Luthorcorp. However, whatever you are doing might be dangerous." And with that, Lionel turned on his heel and left Lex in his office.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Author's Note: Thanks to all those who reviewed. And for those who haven't yet, click on the button below asap! They're greatly appreciated, if you must know. They're the driving force of this story's continuity! If you have any comments, suggestions or violent reactions, just tell me.


	5. Déjà Vu

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Author's Note: Thank you SO MUCH for your reviews. That's the reason this chapter is posted. So, if you don't want this story to become a stagnant one, I suggest you click that review button down below.

Chapter 5

Déjà Vu

"Lex, all I want is to guarantee your well-being. I do not know what you are doing with your share of Luthorcorp. However, whatever you are doing might be dangerous." And with that, Lionel turned on his heel and left Lex in his office.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

The following afternoon, Lionel Luthor, billionaire extraordinaire, strode into the hay-filled loft, where Clark and Harry were discussing Quidditch. When they heard the footsteps, however, they suddenly fell quiet. Clark's expression was that of frank inquiry as he asked, "What are you doing here, Lionel?"

"Ah, Clark. I have simply come to have a little talk," Lionel continued despite unconvinced stares. Spotting Harry, Lionel said to Clark, "I see your cousin here looks like you just as much as I've heard." He shook Harry's hand and said, "Harry Potter, if I'm not mistaken. My name is Lionel Luthor."

"Pleased to meet you, but how did you know who I am?" said Harry nervously. Muggles were not supposed to know his name at first glance.

Lionel smiled sardonically, speaking, "Ah, word travels like wildfire in a small town like this."

"So I have heard," said Harry, his countenance starting to relax. Though he still did not trust the middle-aged man before him, he was giving Lionel the benefit of the doubt.

At that, Lionel chuckled. Clark inquired, "So Lionel, what did you want to tell me?" Lionel hesitated as he saw Harry. Clark interrupted his thoughts by saying, "That's alright, he knows about me."

At that, both Lionel and Harry shared a look as if asking in shock, "He knows?" Lionel recovered quickly and said to Harry, "Well, that makes sense. You are Clark's cousin anyway. Which makes you…"

Harry looked at Clark, asking if this man could be trusted. Clark shrugged, as if saying, "It's up to you."

Oh, well, thought Harry. He could always Obliviate Lionel anyway. "Yeah, I'm Kryptonian too," muttered Harry. Lionel looked slightly taken aback. He had been expecting the answer that it is but natural to know about things such as those, but he didn't expect this.

"Well, at least there are no secrets between all of us," said Lionel, still flabbergasted. Thinking about it though, it made sense. It was also good for Clark to have someone like him around. He continued, "Alright, Clark. Let me go straight to the point. There was what appeared as a raid in Luthorcorp yesterday. We don't know who did it, but Lex seemed to realize what they wanted. I tried to get him to tell me, but he won't say it. Whatever it is, Clark, I think it has something to do with you."

Clark frowned. "What do you mean, Lionel?" he asked as he leaned forward.

"What happened to Miss Lane isn't just a science experiment gone wrong. Everybody knows that she achieved immense strength. Much like your powers," Lionel looked pointedly at Harry and Clark. Continuing, he said, "I don't think that it was only a coincidence."

"Can't it be just a coincidence?" asked Clark.

Harry spoke thoughtfully, "I don't know, Clark. If there's one thing I have learned, it's that mysterious things happening in close consecutiveness are usually related."

"Harry's right, Clark," Lionel said. "Furthermore, with the occurrence of the expertly executed raid, I think that these thieves are no ordinary bandits. They want something big and dangerous, but we don't know what. I just thought to warn you. My gut feeling says that whatever the thieves want, it has something to do with you. I don't know exactly what it is." At that, Lionel bade them goodbye and walked from the barn.

Harry looked thoughtful. He spoke out loud, "Didn't Lex say that he wanted to harness our powers and use it for personal gain? What if he is doing it in Luthorcorp as a project?"

Clark looked as if he was on the verge of discovering how to time travel. He said triumphantly, "I bet that the thieves wanted that too! That's what Lex is hiding in Luthorcorp!" Suddenly, the gravity of the situation fell crashing down their ears. This was not good. Power-hungry villains stealing Kryptonian abilities from another villain never was.

"It's a good thing that Lex was Obliviated, otherwise, we would be in deep trouble."

"I think we already are, Harry. What if the villain who wants to get our powers too is a much bigger problem that Lex? What if he wants to… destroy the world or something?"

The first thing that came to Harry's mind was Voldemort. Impossible, Harry thought. Voldemort was back in England, trying to get more followers. It wasn't very likely. Still, whoever that person might be, it was a bombshell, considering that he or she stole to get it. It would be disastrous if the person stole their powers to rule the world or something. Over Harry's dead body!

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

It seemed like finding the Sorcerer's Stone in the Department of Mysteries, thought Harry as he and Clark went through the winding corridors of Luthorcorp. They were after the Elixir of Power, as the Luthorcorp scientists had dubbed. That was the solution that contained the answer to harnessing Kryptonian powers. After many hours of research with Chloe, they finally found the location of the elixir and they were weaving their way through weird experimenting materials, flasks, machines and other things Harry couldn't identify. Most of them had been put into plastic bags as though for inspection.

There was a plain white door in the back of the room that they wouldn't have noticed if they didn't see the red fire alarm a few feet next to it. There was something strange about that door, Harry thought, like a tingling or something. He reached for the doorknob but as he did so, he pulled away after having received a shock like an electric jolt. Suspicious, Harry looked around for something to break down the door with. Spotting a wooden chair and muttering _"Silencio!" _Harry threw the furniture on the door with minimal strength. Promptly, the door crashed without a sound.

Walking straight into it, Clark and Harry realized that something really wrong has happened there. What should have been a state-of-the-art research lab turned out to be a room full of papers thrown astrew. Test tubes lay cracked, their chemical contents spilled across the polished floor. And in the very center of it all, there was a tall stone table lit from a fluorescent light. However, there was nothing on it. From there, Harry knew that the Elixir of Power was stolen.

"Oh, great," Clark said, frustration evident in his features.

Harry stretched out his senses, trying to remember what Dumbledore did in the cave. The memory still brought a pang to his heart, but he found what he was looking for. There were magical traces in the room, though he didn't know exactly what spell created it. He opened his eyes and said to Clark, "And it just got better. Whoever took the elixir is, well, magical."

"What? How do you know?"

"They left magical traces," Harry said simply. All of a sudden, the beautiful Lana Lang came striding into the room.

As Clark's eyes widened in surprise, he asked, "What are you doing here, Lana?"

"What are _you_ doing here, Clark?" replied Lana with her right eyebrow raised.

"Lionel Luthor told us about the raid, so Harry and I came to check, and we found this," said Clark, gesturing to the seemingly hurricane-swept room, trying to be as casual as possible.

"Harry?" asked Lana inquiringly.

Harry stepped forward and shook her hand, saying, "Harry Potter. I'm Clark's cousin." Lana smiled and introduced herself in return.

Clark said, "So Lana, how about you, what are you doing here?"

Lana hesitated for a moment, and then sighed, "Lex told me about the raid, then – why am I telling you this?"

"Look, Lana, maybe we can help," said Harry encouragingly.

"Oh, alright. I saw this letter on Lex's desk," Lana said, reaching into her bag to retrieve a piece of parchment. Harry's insides dropped, knowing that a letter in parchment always came from a wizard. It read, in what Harry saw as fine quill lettering:

_Mr. Alexander Luthor,_

_Our best thanks for your Elixir of Power; it will make my endeavors much easier to achieve. Do not tell anyone else of this letter nor of what you are missing or else, your fate will be the same as the Elixir: whisked away. _

_The Dark Lord_

Oh, no, this can't be happening, Harry thought, his heart hammering. It was exactly what he was dreading. What other person calls himself the Dark Lord, writes in parchment and has that handwriting? Clark seemed to sense the danger too and said seriously, "Lana, look, I know you'll get mad at me again-"

"Are you going to tell me to stay away from Lex again, Clark?" Lana snapped, her eyes flashing.

"Listen, Lana. This is not about us. This is about your safety," Clark said to Lana persistently. Harry stood in the corner, his mind blocking out the conversation as he reread the letter over and over again.

"You know as well as I do that I can take care of myself. However, I don't need to. Lex is a good man."

"Lana, I'm not questioning Lex. It's this man who wrote the letter. It seems as if he is threatening Lex or might even actually hurt him. I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

"So you want me to save myself because he's a danger magnet? Clark, I don't give up on people just because of that. You should know more than anybody," said Lana. With that, she turned on her heel and left.

In the corner of the room, Harry was muttering, "Not again, not again…" his expression frustrated and angry. Suddenly, a bright light appeared from Harry's hands, which were holding the parchment tightly. The parchment was enveloped in the light, blinding Clark for a moment. As quick as the light appeared, it vanished and with it, the parchment.

Clark stood stock still for a moment then asked with a mixture of worry and amazement in his voice, he asked, "What happened, Harry?"

Harry, barely registering the phenomena he had just done, would have flung an iron stand into the wall and made the room crumble if Clark hadn't stopped him. He said with as much anger and frustration in his voice as his expression, "Voldemort took killed our parents, murdered Cedric, took Sirius, and took Dumbledore and now he wants our powers? God, he is the world's most wretched, despicable piece of cow dung! And what's he going to do with our powers? Kill more Muggles, torture more Muggle-borns, rape some teenage girls and make human slaves?"

Clark, who was much better at controlling his emotions, said, "Harry, I know he's a big prick, but we'll get that Elixir of Power and make sure that he doesn't use it for evil."

"Yeah, he's a big prick, alright! Lord Moldyshorts, Moldywarts, the Dark Dork!" Harry yelled. Clark couldn't help but laugh at those insults. Harry seemed suddenly aware of his outburst at Clark's laughter and started to look sheepish.

"Glad to have you back, Harry," said Clark, still grinning. "So how did you do it? The flashing and disappearing thing, I mean."

"I don't know, actually," Harry admitted. "Can you do it too?"

Clark shook his head. "I've only seen Kara do that once. Long story."

"I don't know how it happened," continued Harry, "All I know is wanting the evidence that Voldemort is trying to ruin everyone's lives again gone. I should have known better that he wouldn't stop unless someone stopped him."

They fell silent, the severity of the situation crashing down their ears. If Voldemort actually perfects the Elixir, then life as they knew it would cease to exist. Clark remembered what Lex said, "With powers like that, he could rule the world." With determination to retrieve the Elixir suddenly filling their eyes, Clark and Harry sped back to the farm.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Harry and Clark said goodbye to Mrs. Kent as they packed their stuff. They were off to England again, off to find that Elixir, hopefully along with the remaining Horcruxes. Once again, Harry felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he knew that he didn't have to carry it alone anymore. They also told Chloe of the situation. She looked sympathetic but she also said, "With two cute alien teenagers with a mild character and a saving-people thing, nothing is impossible." Chloe reminded him of Hermione, Harry thought as they took off with unnatural speed across the Atlantic.

When they reached his room Number Four, Privet Drive, Harry found it deserted of the familiar faces of Ginny, Hermione and Ron as well as the three other beds. He looked around and adjusted his watch to match his old clock. On his desk lay a letter, which Harry read aloud.

_Dearest Harry,_

_Ron, Hermione and I have all gone to the Burrow, where Professor McGonagall, Remus, Tonks, Slughorn and a lot of other Order members put very strong wards on, even the Fidelius Charm, so you'll probably have to Floo first or if you're lucky, someone will be outside, patrolling. It's not safe in Privet Drive anymore with you being seventeen, but that's okay. _

_We hope that everything went fine wherever you went. We'll be waiting for you in the Burrow. Mum is preparing a big birthday party for you. She likes to do a lot of fuss whenever somebody celebrates his seventeenth birthday._

_Love,_

_Ginny_

_P.S. Get your dress robes ready. Bill and Fleur's wedding will be on August 25th. I hope she doesn't dress me up in pink frills, bows and laces. _

Harry laughed at the post-script. He also felt relieved; he forgot all about the blood charm Dumbledore set up. Rushing past Dudley, who didn't realize that they were there, Clark and Harry ran back into the open air, while Harry led the way as he remembered towards the Burrow. When they had arrived, they saw out in the garden, feeding chickens was Mrs. Weasley. Behind her stood a big lot full of weeds. Harry had a feeling of what was going on, but he wasn't sure. Clark however, was completely bewildered.

"Harry, dear, you're back! How have you been?" Mrs. Weasley asked kindly.

"Well, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied. "Oh, and by the way, this is Clark. He's my cousin from my dad's side." After Harry explained the same made-up story about Clark and his adoptive mother recovering from an illness, Mrs. Weasley called Ginny to come down from the attic, and bring the slips of paper.

Before anyone could ask about the slips of paper, Ginny Weasley was already walking down swiftly from nowhere, her long red hair shining and swaying under the sun. As she spotted Harry, she ran over to him, gave him a kiss then hugged him. Harry remembered how much he missed her. When they broke apart, they both blushed as they realized they were being watched. Clark was wearing an amused, lopsided smile. Mrs. Weasley, who had always been fond of Harry, looked as if she was trying to decide whether she should reprimand the two of them or beam at them for being together. She instead cleared her throat. Ginny started and gave a piece of paper to Harry and Clark. In familiar heavy handwriting, it read, _"The Weasley residence, which is the Burrow, can be found in Ottery Street, Catchpole."_ Just then, a house suddenly popped into existence. Clark stared in wonder.

"Remus is our Secret-Keeper," Ginny explained as they entered the house that looked as if it was about to fall over. "So, Harry, Clark, how have you two been? Anything interesting in America?"

Clark hurried answered before Harry, who looked as if he was struggling to get the right words out. "Nothing much, but my mom is getting better, though."

"That's great!" Ginny smiled with so much sincerity that Harry felt even guiltier for lying to her. They all entered the Burrow, where Ron and Hermione greeted them with a lot of enthusiasm along the same lines as Ginny.

Hermione told Harry, "Did you know, McGonagall said that they're still opening Hogwarts this year!" The atmosphere suddenly turned quiet.

Harry, who remembered what he had decided at the previous school year's end, was suddenly hesitant. No doubt, it was one of the places that he truly felt at home, aside from the Burrow, but he had a task ahead of him. He didn't know what to do, but whatever happens, he knew that he had to be ready. Not deciding on anything, they all resolved to pick up their school materials from Diagon Alley.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

In the very famous Diagon Alley, Clark Kent was looking at the many different stalls that contained the fascinating books, potion ingredients, Quidditch supplies and last but not least, Fred and George's Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Some of the shops were boarded up, such as Ollivander's and Fortescue's, but it was still enthralling. Some people were hurriedly shopping in tight-knit groups, and so did their company composed of Harry, Ginny, Clark, Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley. To Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione's delight, Remus Lupin decided to show up and be their escort, McGonagall's orders.

The Ollivander's wand shop was closed, so Harry led Clark to another wand shop named Oakenshield's, while the others shopped for books. A middle-aged man was behind the counter, making balance sheets and records. He was rather tall and slightly broad, but he had a kindly face and eyes that seemed to have quite a lot of wisdom. He said in a solid voice, "Welcome to Oakenshield's. What can I do you for?"

"Clark here needs a new wand," said Harry.

Immediately after he said so, the man he assumed as Oakenshield took a silver tape measure and started measuring. Getting a feeling of déjà vu, Harry saw Clark being tried for several different wands before getting the right wand for him. Finally, after what felt like thirty minutes, Oakenshield said, "Ah, here we are, dawn redwood, quite a rare type of wood, with a phoenix feather core. Try it."

Immediately, Clark felt as if what he was holding was the right wand, for some reason. Waving it, showers of red and blue sparks were emitted, and Oakenshield smiled. He said, "I believe that is the wand we are all looking for. I had the phoenix feather a week ago by accident, as a matter of fact. A phoenix simply appeared and disappeared, leaving a feather behind. It looked very much like the late Headmaster's phoenix, in truth."

Harry suddenly felt his insides squirm. Was it Fawkes' feather that was in Clark's wand? Where was it, anyway? If it was indeed Fawkes', what would it entail to have three brother wands: Voldemort's, Harry's and Clark's? Harry shook himself as he saw Oakenshield handing Clark his wand in a box. He took out his money (which would also belong to Clark, considering the fact that it was inherited from their parents) and paid eight Galleons.

"Now that's done, where do we go next?" Clark asked Harry.

"Let's catch up with the others," Harry said, pointing to Flourish and Blotts.

They saw Hermione taking a dozen heavy spell books that definitely weren't from the booklist. _Light Against Dark: Overcoming the Dark Arts, Surviving the Unforgivables _and a lot of other things were in her cart. Harry followed her lead and took _The Secrets of the Animagi, Maximizing Your Magic, _as well as _Battle Magic: What to Do When Worse Comes to Worst._ After paying for all of their books, including the schoolbooks, the rest of the gang went to Graymalkin's and bought dress robes, as the ones they had three years ago no longer fit them. Clark took normal robes and school robes too. They also went to a trip in the Apothecary and other shops, then to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, where Clark was particularly intrigued. Harry and Clark divided their money between themselves and bought Self-Inking quills, while Harry, being the more mischievous one, bought the U-No-Poo for Romilda Vane, to whom he was still thoroughly annoyed. The brothers also filled their carts with Fred and George's Defense Against the Dark Arts line like Shield Shades, Instant Darkness Powder, Decoy Detonators, and other things. After getting inside the Leaky Cauldron to Floo back, Harry and the others were dead tired and fell asleep. As Harry slept, his dreams were filled with cups, lockets, Kryptonite and a big old castle.

Author's Note: What do you think? Do you reckon Harry and Clark should go to Hogwarts or chase the Horcruxes after the summer or what? Just click the Go button below and tell me.


	6. The Plan of Action

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Author's Note: Thank you SO much to Perkey Turkey, Kalistar, Intergalactic smart-ass, leilanisangel2, Ariana-blood-hehe and Sareneththe6thbell as well as all of those who reviewed in the previous chapters. And now I type with a smile on my face, even if I sound totally cliché. Thank you.

Chapter 6

The Plan of Action

Harry and Clark were in the Kawatche cave in England's side of the world. They were supposed to be back in the Burrow, sleeping at three in the morning, but they sneaked out. The reason was Harry had an idea to apply the knowledge transfer back in Smallville to Clark. Only, it wasn't about Kryptonian knowledge. It was magic.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Clark.

"Do you want to learn six years worth of magical education in a few seconds or not?" Harry said, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, alright. So how are we supposed to do this?" Clark inquired. God knew he wanted to know more magic, but not at the expense of his brother.

Honestly, Harry didn't know what to do. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice boomed, "Put in the key in the center of the octagon." Harry jumped, but he realized it was Jor-El's voice, and relaxed. He followed. The symbols flashed white, as if waiting for data to enter.

"Put your hand on the symbols and concentrate on the information you want to partake, son." Jor-El said, his voice reverberating in the cave. Harry thought about everything he knew about the wizarding world, and as soon as he obeyed, he felt a weird sensation of being sucked on for knowledge but still retaining it. Red, yellow and blue light flowed through his hands and into the cave wall, like very solid tendrils of thought. The feeling ended, and Harry pulled his hands back, feeling drained.

"Okay, your turn," Harry said, with a tired smile.

Clark pulled out the octagonal disk and put it back in. This time, the symbols didn't flash white. They let out a solid flow of red, yellow and blue light, passing through Clark as they put all the magical knowledge Harry had into him. The next thing Clark knew was blackness.

When Clark Kent woke up, he saw that he was back in the Burrow. Harry must have brought him there, Clark mused, as he realized that it was ten in the morning. He got up, but the familiar feeling of having an information overload overwhelmed him. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Charms and other things suddenly filled his brain. He suddenly had an enormous headache. He took his new wand and muttered a Headache-Relieving Charm. Now where did that come from? He smiled as he thought he could do sixth year magic now, thanks to Harry. He went down for a late breakfast and he saw Harry and the others eating at the table.

Suddenly, proud-looking barn owl soared through the open window, carrying two official-looking letters. They were from the Ministry of Magic. Harry had been expecting them, since he had requested for an Apparation Test with Clark and Ron a few hours ago.

_Dear Mr. Potter:_

_Thank you for requesting an Apparation Test. Your test date will be on August 10th, 3:00 p.m. If you are successful, then you will receive your license an hour after the test for processing. Success in this test endows you with the legal right to Apparate anywhere in England except for Hogwarts and other locations with Anti-Apparation wards. Your license will cost you five galleons a year. To avail of an international Apparation license, please contact the Department of Magical Transport, Apparation Regulatory Board._

_Most sincerely,_

_Wylkie Twycross_

_Apparation Test Manager_

Harry looked over Ron's letter. It was the same as his. Clark's letter, however, said that with him being from another country, as Harry had explained in the letter, his license was to be for the United States only, unless he applied for an international license. The Ministry thought that Clark had his education in another country and was staying with his cousin.

"So what do you think, Clark? Ready for the test? You know how to Apparate now, right?" Harry asked, smirking.

"Appa- Oh! You mean Apparate? Of course I do." Clark smiled too, owing to the fact that he suddenly knew how to Apparate and Disapparate out of the blue.

"I didn't know you could Apparate," Hermione said with a frown.

Harry waved his hand dismissively, "Oh, I forgot to mention, Clark's adoptive mom sometimes hires a witch to teach him, but not too often. That's why his curriculum lacks a few things. But now that he's here, and we're all here, it's going to be easy, right Clark?"

Clark nodded, relieved that Harry spared him from the questioning.

The following day, Harry, Ron and Clark were in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Transport, Apparation Test Center. An elderly witch with pale brown hair greeted them and asked for their names. She led them through a door which read, "Apparation Test Center Proctor: Wylkie Twycross"

Harry saw Ron turn slightly pale. He knew why. A first test failed wasn't very boosting. A voice from the desk said, "Ah, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Kent. Good afternoon. Now let's begin the test, shall we?" Harry recognized the man as Wylkie Twycross. He looked as bland and pale as ever. "The first test consists of long-distance yet conceivable destination. The second consists of a short-distance yet unseen destination. And finally, the third consists of long-distance Apparation that is unseen. Now, if you will all kindly step up this pad…" Twycross said, gesturing towards a huge metallic circle. The three teenagers followed. Suddenly, they were transported to a thin forest. Twycross said, "It's a modified version of a portkey. Alright, Harry, I want you to Apparate from this spot," he pointed to a circle marked in red, "to under the tree over there," he said, pointing to a spot that seemed fifty feet away.

Harry stepped into the red circle. He suddenly remembered how he Apparated Dumbledore from the cave to Hogsmeade. Again, the memory brought a pang to his heart. However, he recalled the amount of concentration he experienced. All of a sudden, without realizing it, without feeling anything that could make him claustrophobic, he was underneath the tree. Wylkie Twycross was gaping at him.

"How did you do that, Mr. Potter?" Twycross asked.

"Do what?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Apparate without a sound! A person cannot Apparate without a sound. That signifies the compression of the molecules!" Twycross explained.

"I dunno," said Harry.

"Did you feel anything like a compression?"

"No."

Twycross looked thoughtful. "That is a very rare gift. Normally, powerful wizards can do it quietly, but the only ones that I knew who were able to do it with complete silence were Lily Evans and James Potter." Harry's insides squirmed. So his parents were able to do it too? It must have something to do with being Kryptonian, Harry mused.

The rest of the Apparation test commenced. Harry passed the last two tests with flying colors, with Twycross excitedly jotting down notes about how his Apparation was so amazing. Ron did well too, without a single mistake, and his face returned to its normal color as he finished the test, grinning. To Twycross' further astonishment, Clark was also able to do what Harry did, saying that silent Apparation probably runs in the family, knowing that Clark was Harry's cousin. After that, they took their licenses, Harry and Clark both applying for international ones, as they knew they might also need them.

Ah, well, thought Harry, life is full of surprises.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

That evening, Mrs. Weasley had prepared an enormous, delicious rum cake. The Burrow was cleaned up and decorated. They were belatedly celebrating Harry's seventeenth birthday. The whole Weasley family was there, except Percy. Remus and Tonks came in, hand in hand. Moody, McGonagall and Slughorn also came and so did the rest of the Order. To Harry's surprise, several Hogwarts students like Neville, Colin, Dennis, Ernie, Seamus, Dean, Lavender (whom Ron avoided), Parvati and Padma, Luna, and a lot of other people went in. He greeted Neville a belated Happy Birthday, much to Neville's surprise.

After eating a very scrumptious dinner in the garden courtesy of Mrs. Weasley, music blared from Mr. Weasley's Muggle speakers. It was by the Weird Sisters, so Ginny pulled Harry from the dinner table to dance under the moonlight. From the corner of his eye he saw Clark and Hermione grin at the same time while Ron's face seemed as if it was trying to decide whether to grin or not. At last, Hermione pulled at Ron's arm, while Ron was protesting that he did not dance. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were happily swaying while Parvati and Lavender were eyeing Clark, who knew it and was trying his best to ignore them. When the slow music began, Bill and Fleur, the fiancées, got up and danced, Fleur's arms flirtatiously draped around Bill's neck at which Fred started pretending to wretch.

A Muggle song turned on and suddenly, Lifehouse's "You and Me" was blaring from the speakers. Harry and Ginny's eyes met as their steps turned slow.

'_Cause it's you and me_

_And all of the people_

_With nothing to do_

_Nothing to lose_

_And it's you and me_

_And all of the people_

_And I dunno why_

_I can't keep my eyes off you._

_There's something about you, love._

_I can't quite feel your arms_

_Everything she does is beautiful_

_And everything she does is right._

Without thinking, Harry leaned in and kissed Ginny. He felt an elation that he had never felt before. It wasn't infatuation that he was feeling. It was love. As they two of them stopped and hugged, Clark noticed that something seemed to have flamed in Harry's eyes. Then it was gone before Harry or anyone else noticed it. Clark breathed a sigh of relief.

Harry jumped when people started hooting and whistling. Fred and George were grinning like madmen, and suddenly, in the sky, fireworks flared and said, "Happy Birthday, Harry! And best wishes for your future marriage!" in red and gold. Harry and Ginny blushed. Clark was laughing as he clapped Harry on the shoulder, saying, "That's my boy," at which Harry rolled his eyes. He decided to tell Harry about what he had seen could be told tomorrow. Besides, it was part of growing up.

At the end of the day, Harry slept on his bed with a smile on his face, Voldemort, Hogwarts and all other concerns gone except for the one person in his mind: Ginny.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

That morning at breakfast, things seemed a little more cheerful. When Harry and Ginny's eyes met, they smiled and the rest of the family noticed and cheered. Blushing, they turned away. After a while, Harry looked at Ginny again as she ate. She was so beautiful, Harry thought. He observed the way her hair shone under the sun, how her eyes sparkled when she laughed and how her lips curved in such a way no one else did whenever she smiled. The next thing Harry knew, to his great horror, was fire spontaneously combusting on the wooden table. His eyes felt unusually hot.

"Oh dear me!" said Mrs. Weasley, who had already pulled her wand out along with an _Aguamenti_ charm. Everyone looked around for the source of the fire, and saw Harry blushing sheepishly.

Fred looked at Harry curiously. Harry's eyes were looking at his feet, snapping to Ginny at random intervals. He grinned, his eyes adopting a mischievous look. "Hey, Harry, nice little display of accidental magic. Sure you weren't experiencing _strong _emotions?"

Harry didn't know if he should be relieved or not. On one hand, they thought that it was accidental magic. The thing is Harry was pretty sure it wasn't magical in nature. On the other hand, he wasn't exactly comfortable about the twins knowing about him and Ginny. He would never live in peace again. He looked at Ginny once more, and her expression said, "Looks like our little secret's out to the family…" Everyone else was looking at him with amusement.

Everyone did except for Clark, who was watching him with interest like he knew what was happening. He stood up, tapped Harry on the shoulder and excused himself from the table. They went out of the house and into the backyard.

"Apparently, things are heating up lately, Harry. Let's fix this before you burn anything else." Clark said with a wry smile.

"Heating up lately?" Harry asked.

"Come on, Harry, isn't there _something _increasing in temperature?" Clark said as his smile was turning into a grin.

"They're my eyes, aren't they?" Harry said, his suspicions confirmed. But what triggered it? He knew it, really, but loathed to admit it in front of Clark, or anyone else.

Clark was smirking widely now, "Yes, Harry, that's what we call heat vision."

"Why exactly did it happen?" Harry asked, but he seemed to be excited and dreading the answer at the same time.

"You know, why… in the presence of a certain woman, there are certain… feelings that some people experience," said Clark, who was trying to prevent himself from laughing.

That statement affirmed Harry's qualms. Whenever he thought of _romantic _feelings, especially Ginny, heat vision would come. Harry came with a comeback. "Really, so is _that _how you knew how to use heat vision then?

Embarrassment came to Clark as Karma when he said, "Well… it's Lana."

"Really?" Harry asked, no longer confused but smirking.

"Yes. Now try it. Think of a certain pretty redhead," Clark said as he waved his wand and conjured a candle.

"Oh, all right," muttered Harry. He concentrated hard on Ginny and looked at the candle. Nothing happened.

"Concentrate, Harry," Clark said. Harry obliged, thinking about his love for Ginny, how much he cared about her. Suddenly, fire shot from his eyes, hitting the candlewick, which flared to life.

"Great, Harry. Heat vision can really give firepower when you need it," said Clark, banishing the candle with a smile. "Now let's get back to breakfast, they'll be missing us."

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

It was August 25th. The Burrow was bustling with activity. Hermione and Ginny were both putting on hair and make-up charms for Bill and Fleur's wedding later that afternoon. Ginny was gladly and thankfully wearing a beautiful and simple pale gold dress. Mrs. Weasley was fussing over George, Fred and Ron's dress robes. Clark and Harry were trying to get their hair to fall flat. Though Clark was had a little success, Harry had none. Charlie was trying to clean his shoes and of course, the Man of the Hour, Bill, was fretting over everything.

"Bill, dear, relax. This is your big day," Mrs. Weasley said.

Bill nodded and took a few deep breaths. It didn't work, he was still nervous.

"I felt the same way during my wedding day," Mr. Weasley said. Mrs. Weasley shot Mr. Weasley a look, and Bill laughed.

When they went to a church, a beautiful one on top of a hill, a lot of guests arrived. The whole Order of the Phoenix was there, a lot of redheads whom Harry didn't know, as well as a lot of blonde people he assumed was Fleur's family. Molly and Bill greeted the tall, thin and bearded priest, who looked strangely familiar to Harry. A few minutes after waiting, Fleur dela Cour arrived to the sound of wedding bells. She looked as beautiful as ever. Harry saw Bill wringing his hands inside the pockets of his dress robes.

The rest of the wedding seemed like a normal Muggle wedding. A few things that stood out were that the veil flew itself over to Bill and Fleur and that the rings magically engraved themselves on the spot. An old Muggle song that Harry had heard in other weddings made Mrs. Weasley break into tears.

_Is this the little girl I carried?_

_Is this the little boy I played?_

_I don't remember growing older_

_Day by day_

_Sunrise, sunset_

_Sunrise, sunset_

_Swiftly flow the years_

_One season following another_

_Laden with happiness and tears._

Mrs. Weasley was sobbing into Mr. Weasley's shoulder. A few minutes later, the priest said, "Do you, Mr. William Weasley, take Fleur dela Cour as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." Out of the priest's wand, there flew a strand of gold binding Bill and Fleur's hands together. It was an Unbreakable Vow.

"And do you, Ms. Fleur dela Cour, take William Weasley as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." Again, another golden strand bound them together.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the priest said happily. Bill and Fleur kissed amidst the cheers of everyone. Fred and George set off hundreds of fireworks, none of them saying anything for fear of Mrs. Weasley.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and surprisingly, Clark got a letter from Hogwarts the following morning. Harry observed with a pang that the letter no longer began with Dumbldore's name and array of titles. It read:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are very pleased to inform you that Hogwarts is to continue accepting students this year. However, in lieu of recent events, we are asking for a confirmation whether you are going to apply for this seventh year batch's enrollment. We await your return owl within the next two days. Though you were informed of this school year's materials beforehand, they are enclosed with this letter. _

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress_

Harry's insides twisted, his mind in conflict.

_It's Hogwarts, you know! It's the only place you ever truly felt at home. How could you consider not going on your seventh year?_

I have to vanquish Voldemort!

_How do you expect to find the Elixir, the Horcruxes then kill Voldemort without going to seventh year? You can't even get a single spell past Snape!_

I can survive with what I have. But I have to get to Voldemort and I'm not wasting my time studying.

_You can't defeat Voldemort without learning all the proper magic._

Dumbledore told me that I could do it. Besides, magic is not the only weapon I have, you know.

Harry was confused. He looked up and saw his friends looking at him expectantly. Ginny spoke, "Look, Harry, do whatever you feel you're supposed to do. Don't be afraid. Wherever you're going, we'll stick with you." The rest of them nodded along with Ginny's statement.

Harry smiled, amazed at her empathy and grateful for what Ginny had said. He closed his eyes to think. He decided. "I want to finish what Dumbledore and I started. I want to end all the suffering. I want to have a safe and peaceful life. And as long as the Dark Dork's around, that's not going to happen."

"Well then, what do we do, fearless leader?" Ginny asked, grinning.

"Let's finish off the piece of crap who calls himself Voldemort."

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\

Author's Note: Yes! Another chapter written! Please tell me what you think. I'm sorry to those who wanted Harry and Co. to go to Hogwarts. I realized that Harry said so in the sixth book, and I'm just trying to stick to J.K. Rowling's plans.


	7. Godric's Hollow

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Author's Note: My best thanks to those who reviewed! This chapter is for you!

Chapter 7

Godric's Hollow

"Mum, honestly, we can all take care of ourselves! You let us go to Privet Drive before!" Ginny said, trying to keep her voice in normal volume.

"Godric's Hollow is different from Privet Drive! It's not safe in there! And it doesn't help that you are underage!" Mrs. Weasley replied hotly, her hands akimbo.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Who cared if she was underage? As long as she was under the protection of an adult witch or wizard, qualifications that Harry, Ron and Hermione could fulfill, she wouldn't have to worry about Ministry reprimands. The Ministry didn't really have an efficient underage magic detection system.

Ron tried to help her, saying, "Mum, there are four of us: Harry, Hermione, Clark and me. She's got all the protection she needs! And besides, if she goes to Hogwarts, it's only a matter of time before it stops becoming safe. Knowing You-Know-Who, the school's going to be one of his targets."

Mrs. Weasley's lips were twitching to the right, a facial expression trademark to female Weasleys. Behind her, Mr. Weasley murmured an assent. The mother looked as if she was struggling, but finally consented. She closed her eyes with a sigh, saying, "Alright, children. But I want you to promise me this: Always take care of yourselves and each other, understand?"

Ron and Ginny nodded. Mrs. Weasley broke into sobs and hugged them. Ginny said, "We always will, Mum."

After a few minutes, the five teenagers, Harry, Ginny, Clark, Hermione and Ron were all packing their bags. Hermione was clucking her tongue between her teeth as she waited for the boys to pack. She was already finished thirty minutes before and was waiting impatiently with Ginny. "Boys," Hermione muttered as Ginny rolled her eyes.

As soon as they were out of the threshold of the Burrow, four of them touched Harry's sleeve. Harry was the one who knew where Godric's Hollow was, finding out from Dumbledore once before. Experiencing a claustrophobia-inducing sensation, save Harry and Clark, they found themselves before a pile of ruins, which was obviously once a beautiful home for the Potters.

"Nobody even bothered to fix it up…" Hermione uttered.

"Well, now's a good time to do that if we want to be able sleep somewhere that doesn't have a pile of rubble," Harry said.

They set to work. Every once in a while, a _"Reparo!"_ would be heard, and slowly, but surely, the building that Godric's Hollow had once been was restored. After thirty minutes, it was finished, and Hermione, Ron and Ginny were exhausted from the amount of moving and spell work, though the Kryptonian brothers were a little less tired. Admiring their handiwork, they stood back and saw a homey-looking, three-story house painted in a cream color, wind blowing through its gold and white curtains, a finely polished marble floor, an elaborately carved pair of staircases with at least five rooms connecting it. Put simply, it was a fantastic house.

Harry looked amused as his friends' jaws dropped open. "Alright, dibs on this room!" Harry said, breaking the silence and running towards a door of the room near the balcony. They laughed and followed his lead, claiming rights to their respective bedrooms.

Harry's room was his former bedroom when he was a year old. It was decorated in the classic Gryffindor colors of red and gold. In the center was a four-poster bed with elaborate hangings and a cradle was beside it. Harry smiled. It must have been where he used to sleep, he thought. After putting his things where he wanted them, he went down along with the others, who were also talking about the house. Their respective rooms were colored according to their favorite hues. Clark's room was sterling blue, Hermione's was lilac, Ron's was orange, and Ginny's was green.

Clark said, "This is really cool, Harry. I never knew that our – I mean – your parents had such a great house."

"I know," Harry said, grinning back. He stood next to a window leading to the backyard. He turned his head to the side and what he saw out in the grass made his stomach twist. He walked over to them. They were two stone tablets with writing on them.

LILY AURORA EVANS-POTTER

September 5, 1954 – October 31, 1980

A brilliant friend, great daughter, a loving wife and mother You shall always be the spring of our life, Lily. 

Harry touched the cool marble and felt it tingling beneath his fingertips. He looked over to his left and saw Clark doing the same on the other tablet.

JAMES HARRISON POTTER

July 8, 1954 - October 31, 1980

_A loyal friend, amazing son, loving husband and wonderful father_

_Prongs shall ride again._

Harry's knees were on the cool grass, his fingers slightly shaking. Ginny put her hands on his shoulders, and his breathing slowed and relaxed. Harry missed them so much. If it weren't for Voldemort, none of this would have happened. His parents would still have been living; he would have been with his brother long before now, probably having been through growing up together, maybe with a younger sibling. Not to mention, Cedric, Sirius and Dumbledore would have still been alive. Clark, who was next to him, had his eyes closed, his expression pained.

"Come on, guys, let's go back upstairs," Harry said, his eyes downcast.

They went back to the house in silence. Ginny asked carefully, "Alright, Harry?" Harry nodded and forced a smile.

Clark was looking at the floor. He frowned. "What's this?" he said. He was pointing to square-shaped crease.

Hermione looked up and wore the same frown, saying, "It looks like a trapdoor, and a well-hidden one. Good one, Clark!"

Harry shot Clark a questioning look, and in reply, he mouthed, "X-ray vision. It was lead." Harry tried to do x-ray vision on what Hermione said was a trapdoor, but he couldn't see through it. Why would James and Lily use lead, something that they couldn't see through? As though Clark heard his question, he made to pull up the trapdoor. In an instant, it gave free.

"Must be rusty," Clark muttered awkwardly. Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll go first," Clark continued, "If something happens…"

"Nothing's going to happen, Clark," Ginny said, slightly exasperated. "Come on, let's get down there."

One by one, they all went into the mysterious trapdoor. As their eyes adjusted to the light, they lit up their wands. Harry's eyes scanned the surrounding area like a hawk. He went around to the center of the room. It looked like a laboratory. There were racks of flasks containing liquids of different hues, metallic tools that looked like they were used for cutting, a suit that looked as if it was made of lead, and huge metallic table in the very center of it all. Beside it stood what looked like an ordinary wooden desk. Harry opened its drawer, and his eyes widened at what he saw. Within it were stacks of parchment on which Kryptonian symbols were written. As Harry started to read them, Hermione asked, "Hey, Harry, what have you found?"

"Er, nothing, Hermione. Just a bunch of scratch paper," Harry muttered awkwardly. He pretended to look around at the flasks as he stuffed the parchment into his pocket. When Harry went within five feet of the flasks, he suddenly doubled up, experiencing a familiar nausea. Before him, the flasks that were previously dull were now glowing a bright poisonous green. "Bloody hell…" Harry stammered.

"Harry!" Ginny yelled in panic. She and Hermione were at Harry's side in an instant, but nothing happened to them. Clark knew, at that instant, what the flasks contained: Kryptonite. He suddenly remembered that Lara told him how Jor-El experimented with Kryptonite, probably to find out its effects on humans and Kryptonians. That would explain why he knew so much about them. Not caring what would happen to him, he was right beside Ginny and Harry, his body weakening to lower than human strength, dragging Harry out of the line of fire. "What in the bloody world just happened?" Ron asked in alarm.

Harry mumbled, "It was nothing."

"Look, Harry, please tell us what's wrong," Ginny said pleadingly. Beside her, Hermione was wearing a contemplative frown. She seemed to be studying Harry closely.

"It's probably just a sudden headache, don't worry about me."

They trudged back to the stairs, Ron looking as if Harry was about to fall any moment and Ginny wearing an anxious look. On the other hand, Hermione's eyes were snapping from Harry, who tried to look as unruffled as possible, to the vials. From their previous sickly green tint, they reverted to a dull quality.

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

Harry woke the next morning, slightly uncomfortable. He looked down and discovered that he slept without bothering to change. Apparently, he was quite exhausted from the Kryptonite exposure. He felt his robe pocket and realized that something else kept him from having a comfortable sleep the previous night. It was the parchment he saw last night in the lab. He opened it up and read the Kryptonian letters as his excitement mounted.

**Green Kryptonite: A Comprehensive Study**

**Conducted by Jor-El**

Harry smiled as he browsed through the rest of the text quickly. This was exactly what he needed. Maybe this thing could even help him with a few problems. Clark would especially be gleeful, Harry thought. "Clark! Where are you? Come here!" he called.

Within a split-second, Clark had already zoomed into Harry's not-so-tidy bedroom. He said, "Glad to see you're finally awake."

"Hey, there was Kryptonite! Anyway, the reason I called is because of this," Harry said, being straight to the point. He brought out the research paper to Clark, whose eyes widened with excitement.

"Where did you find this?" the elder brother asked.

"The basement," Harry said simply.

Clark browsed through the pages. He said, "Wow, I always knew that green Kryptonite can do a lot of alterations, but I never knew there were so _many _possibilities."

"Have you read about the part including magic?" asked Harry, his eyes sparkling.

"Okay… green kryptonite can enhance and weaken magic in several ways. However, the most effective use of kryptonite in the field of magic is in transfiguration. It specifically increases the ability to change in a much smoother, more efficient way. Therefore, it extends the possibilities of transfiguration from simple transformations into far more complex ones, including transformations into magical entities. This idea was thought impossible, and it would be in normal circumstances. For human wizards, it is a simple process of adding 1ml of liquefied and synthesized kryptonite to whatever materials for transfiguration there may be. However, for Kryptonian wizards, it requires red kryptonite in the same amount in order to be neutralized yet still remain effective," Clark read aloud from the Kryptonian text.

Harry grinned even further, "Do you know what this means? It means, we can get to transform things to magic, _including _changing ourselves to animals!"

"Whoa, back up! Are you telling me that you want us to become _Animagi_?" Clark asked incredulously.

"Not just any Animagi… magical ones!" the younger brother said, practically emanating excitement.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Why not? I mean, we need – Hermione?" Harry was cut off when Hermione practically dashed through the door to get to him. She held a laptop in her hands.

"Thank God you two are awake. Before you ask, I brought my laptop with me and canconnect to the Internet magically," Hermione said, seeing the questioning looks on their faces at the sight of a laptop with a browser efficiently working. "I've just been checking on the Muggle news, and I saw _this…" _She clicked and on it played something that caught the eyes of the two Potters. In a deserted plain, there was a huge explosion of green light, with taints of silver. It flew into the air and made a blast that looked like a mushroom, similar to that of a nuclear bomb. There were two middle-aged people who looked like Muggles. They were fleeing in panic across their streets, trying not to get engulfed in the unnerving green mist. Unfortunately, they were caught within it, and they dropped down, unconscious. The video ended.

Hermione said, "The report said that the two people from Dunsinane, Perth seemed to have lost all sanity but had too much strength to be taken to a psychiatric ward. Now, nobody knew where they went."

Clark thought that explosion looked much like green kryptonite. And the Muggles' reactions looked uncannily like… Lois'? If that were the case, then somebody has been experimenting with kryptonite again, but who did it? The answer came to him, but he loathed admitting it. However, logic said it all. If that same reaction happened, then another Luthorcorp scenario was happening. And the last time that that particular thing happened was when Lex was experimenting with silver kryptonite, which made up Dr. Fine. And that experiment, called the Elixir of Power, was stolen by none other than Voldemort…

Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and when Hermione turned her back to shut down her laptop, the two of them were gone, leaving Hermione to puzzle over where they went.

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

Running, running… that was what the two brothers did until they reached their destination. Across cities, fields and hills, they reached Perth, Scotland in a matter of minutes. All they needed to do was to find the two presently insane man and woman. As for how to do that, they had no idea. They can't exactly ask and say, "Excuse me, miss, but have you seen a couple with super strength currently insane?" can they?

They walked into the town where Dunsinane was situated in normal velocity. The houses in the town seemed particularly like Smallville, especially when it came to the agriculture. The difference was this was pretty much more sullen. Windows were boarded up with planks of wood, there were no people walking out in the street, and the place was practically lifeless. Apparently, Voldemort's appearance made quite an impact here too.

Out of the blue, they heard a muffled noise. It sounded like a struggle. Thuds and loud punches seemed to be resonating from an abandoned warehouse. Typical setting. Hurrying to the source of the commotion, Clark used his super hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Damn, he's strong! Greyback! Get back here!" a young male voice said.

"Don't you go orderin' me around, Malfoy. I'm the - " The other was cut off when the sound was replaced by a low growl.

What a small world, Harry thought. He was tired trying to eavesdrop, especially because he couldn't use his super hearing yet. Barging in, come what may, he told Clark to stay outside. He didn't want to ruin the element of surprise as of yet. He threw open the rusty old door, to the shock of the two Death Eaters.

"Well, well, if it isn't Saint Potter. What are you doing here?" Draco Malfoy said with half a smirk and a look of shock.

"Hello, Malfoy. I see you have Greyback here with you," Harry said, his lips curved into a taunting smirk, not afraid at all. It was the perfect opportunity for him to confront them, the people who stood behind as Snape killed Dumbledore. He spotted a man and a woman that they were trying to subdue, but with great difficulty. Greyback, while trying to keep his eyes on Harry, was trying to stun the middle-aged man but his wand was knocked out of his hand. "Acting on the Dark Lord's orders, are we?" said Harry.

"What would you know about it?" Malfoy sneered, but his wand was shakily pointing at Harry. His eyes widened when Harry was actually a tad bit taller than he was.

"Ah, a few things here and there," Harry replied coolly. "It's a real pity that you didn't take up Dumbledore's offer, you know. You wouldn't have to be doing all this work, then. Speaking of which, why are you trying, and having a hard time, subduing helpless Muggles? Voldemort's fault, perhaps?"

"Don't say the name, Potter! And for your information, the Dark Lord is actually trying a few experiments for himself. I'm not telling you what. But this is the result: two Muggles with all brawn and no brain. We have to guard them. Happy?" Malfoy replied, wand still pointing at Harry.

For a Death Eater, Malfoy was a great blabbermouth, Harry thought. Then again, he did the same thing when he was trying to kill Dumbledore.

"That's enough talk," Greyback called as he and the blonde woman in her thirties rolled across the floor in a struggle. "Kill him now!"

Malfoy raised his wand level to Harry's face. "I'm sorry, Potter. I have no other choice. _Avada Kedavra!"_

However, Harry was no longer there. Using his quick senses, as if everything was frozen and only he was moving, he Apparated behind Malfoy effortlessly. He could have run there, but he wanted to take less chances in being discovered.

Fenrir Greyback finally managed to join the fray, concluding that Harry was a greater threat than the Muggles. He growled, "Impressively fast, Potter, but not good enough." He lunged at the boy with a wand in his right hand and his left hand bared with his yellow nails ready to strike. Unfortunately for him, Harry skirted past using Apparition, making him land painfully on the concrete.

Malfoy decided to levitate a table and drop it on Harry's head, and when he did, he stood with his jaw open, as Harry turned to face him, completely unaffected. The dark-haired young man went to Malfoy, wanting to smack him to bits, but he would obviously kill him with that. He would never kill, not even if it was a Malfoy. Ironically, the said person shot out a Severing Charm that would have removed Harry's head from his shoulders, had Harry not ducked just in time. Apparently, Malfoy _could _kill now. Shame. Harry took out his wand and muttered, _"Stupefy!"_ However, something jerked his arm and made him miss. A growling Mrs. Whatsit was running rampage, along with an angry Mr. Whatsit. Taking the opportunity, Malfoy held Fenrir's upper arm and Apparated. Great.

Clark appeared right beside him. "Where did you come from?" Harry asked.

"In case you haven't noticed, which I assume you haven't, I was under the Disillusionment Charm trying to keep these two Muggles at bay. It's not easy. With Lois there were two of us and one of her, but there's two of them now."

"But there's two of us, aren't there? Have you got the Kryptonite mixture we used on Lois?" Harry inquired.

"Right here, Harry," Clark said, giving one of the two pouches to his younger brother. The two of them stood at the ready before the couple, who both seemed to know what was happening. "Ready. Set. Go!" With their super strength, they tackled the two of the Muggles onto the floor. They rolled, kicked, punched, pushed, pulled and finally, they got both of them pinned by the arms. After force-feeding the potion, they blacked out.

"They're gonna be okay, right?" Harry asked.

"I suppose so."

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

Author's Note: I am SOOOO sorry that this chapter took so long. It was so hard to write. Aside from the writer's block, I had a weeklong retreat in a place with no civilization, an annoying cold and a bunch of tests. I'm really sorry. Anyway, please read and review. I want to know what you think.


	8. Fire and Flight

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews; they really make my day. That's why if you review, I upload more quickly, and if you don't, I upload more slowly, or possibly, no more. The fate of this story is in your hands.

Chapter 8

Fire and Flight

Soaring through the cool clouds, flying as free as a bird across the skies, Harry never felt more content in his life. He wasn't sitting on a hard broomstick, like he thought, but he was floating effortlessly without any support. It felt as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he reflected as he flew over skyscrapers and mountains, the clouds going swiftly between his knees. A smile of pure bliss appeared across his face. It was like he could do anything. He looked at the horizon and saw the sun setting down the beach he was now at, flashing brilliant hues of red, orange, pink, purple and gold. If he followed that sunset, will it ever end? He pondered absently as he gazed down. And amongst those waters, one of his favorite people in the world was there: Ginny. He slowed down and made a soft landing on the white, soft sand as he looked at Ginny, who was still staring at the sun, not realizing his presence. He walked slowly towards her and touched her shoulder. Her hand reached up to hold his.

"You know that I never really gave up on you don't you?" Ginny said softly as her warm hand rubbed his.

"I know. And I thank you for that," Harry replied.

"Do you really know, Harry?" said Ginny as she turned to face him, "Then you should know that holds true for any circumstance. I already told you that I don't care what happens to me as long as we're together. And that means not even with your little 'out of this world' problem."

Harry said, "You know what will happen. If my enemies find out about you, I will never forgive myself if something happens to you."

Ginny just smiled and said, "What part of 'I don't care' can't you understand? You're still the Harry Potter that I love and I want to be with. You know that I'll find out about your bio sooner or later, don't you?"

"Of course I do, you're a pretty smart witch, Ginny."

"I'm glad that you know that. Looks like you're pretty smart too, Harry, but you really have to figure the 'I don't care' part out."

"I know. Thank you so much, Ginny. I love you," Harry said, his emerald eyes sparkling as he held his arms around her waist.

"And I love you too," Ginny replied as she put her arms around her neck.

Harry and Ginny's feet left the ground as he started flying while carrying Ginny. As they rose higher and higher into the clouds, their lips went nearer and nearer until they met and eventually kissed. It was short and sweet, but enough to communicate the understanding between them. Then, when Harry was truly enjoying his dream, his alarm clock rang, piercing the serenity as he woke up to find himself in his four-poster bed, levitating about two feet high from the mattress, then getting fully awake all of a sudden with a loud thud. If he weren't Kryptonian, he would probably have had the wind knocked out of him, he thought, as he felt the front legs of the bed break right before the back legs did.

Hermione and Ginny were the first ones down the kitchen. Ron and Clark, as usual, slept in. As Harry went groggily down the stairs after repairing the bed, he smiled at the delicious smell of bacon. He saw Hermione and Ginny eating and joined them.

"Hey Harry, what happened up there? We heard a crash," said Ginny.

"Oh, I dropped something when I stubbed my foot," Harry said awkwardly. Ginny raised her eyebrows but made no comment.

"I just saw the Muggle news and I saw that the two Muggles that I showed to you yesterday are alright. They seem to have no memory of what happened to them," Hermione said.

Harry, grinning, said, "That's good – at least they're okay."

"You know what? The explosion that I showed you yesterday reminds me of the 1954 meteor shower. I saw the pictures, and they looked a lot like that one, except that I don't think it was a meteor shower. It had some green color, though," Hermione said thoughtfully.

Harry bit his lip as Ginny pitched in, "Do you think it has something to do with Voldemort, Harry? I mean, Slytherin green and silver _are _his colors."

Harry chose his words carefully, "The explosion probably does. I mean, there was no explanation, was there?"

"Nope. I wonder what happened to the Muggles, though," said Hermione.

"I wonder what's keeping Clark and Ron," said Ginny. Harry made an internal sigh of relief as she changed the subject. She suddenly smiled evilly. "Ah, well, I might at least have some fun."

A few minutes after Ginny went up the stairs with a sly grin, they heard two loud yells, including Ron, saying, "What the – Ginny! I'm soaking wet! What the bloody hell did you do that for?" In the kitchen, Hermione and Harry were sniggering. Ron and Clark, completely drenched, entered the kitchen after Ginny. Hermione was still laughing as she performed a drying charm on them.

"That was _not _funny!" Clark said, though his grin at his own demise said otherwise.

"Really, you should have seen your faces," Ginny chuckled.

"At least we all had a nice laugh," Hermione said. "God knows we needed it."

"Yeah, with the war and all," said Ron. "We'll be lucky if we ever get out of it with all our limbs intact."

"Lucky… Lucky… That's it! Ron, you're brilliant!" Hermione cheered.

"I know I am…" Ron replied jokingly, "Why?"

"Felix Felicis, Ronald!" Hermione said, practically bouncing in excitement. "What if we make a lot of it? Even if we can't use it often, we can give them to a lot of people, like the Order, for example!"

"But they already have Slughorn for that," Ginny pointed out.

"I don't think Slughorn would be very willing for such a thing, Ginny. Besides, if we do it ourselves, it'll be available to us anytime," Harry said.

"That's right. _Accio Advanced Potion-Making!" _Hermione muttered. Her potions book zoomed to her hand. "I know that this book has the standard potion instructions, but as much as I loathe to say it, I think we'll need the Half-Blood Prince's copy, Harry."

Harry looked as if he was about to argue, but after some thinking, he nodded in assent. "I know. It'll help make the potion brew quicker, six months is pretty long. I'll just think of it as using Snape's own inventions against him." And with that, he used a similar charm that Dumbledore used to send his things to the Burrow, but reversing it. With a pop, the tattered copy of the Half-Blood Prince appeared before their very eyes from the Hogwarts Room of Requirement.

For the first time, a smile appeared on Hermione's face upon seeing the book. "Great. Leave the potion making to me. I'll tell you if we lack any other ingredients."

"Aw, come on, Hermione, and I'll miss all the fun? I'm coming with you," said Ron surprisingly. Harry rolled his eyes. If he didn't know better, he was only probably doing it to spend more time with Hermione.

"Me too, Hermione. You know I love potions," Ginny said, a knowing smile on her lips. She did indeed adored potion making when Snape wasn't breathing down her neck. However, it was more like it that she wanted to keep an eye on her brother for payback of last year's big brother over protectiveness. Clark and Harry were left alone in the kitchen as the rest of them went to the potions lab. Harry let out a breath he was holding.

"I have something to tell you," said Harry, who looked like he was bursting to tell his brother something. "When I woke up this morning… I was… floating."

"Floating…" Clark echoed. He had an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yeah, and when I woke up I crashed. Ever experienced that, Clark?"

Clark grinned. "Once or twice. There were a few times that I flew, but I was either asleep, in a panic or not myself."

"Looks like our flying powers are starting to kick in," said Harry, who was now grinning from ear to ear. Of all Kryptonian powers, this was what he was really waiting for. He had been flying on a broomstick, and he loved it, but being able to fly without anything but yourself stopping you from falling was another thing.

"Whoa, take it easy there. The first time I floated was about five years back. And I still can't fly at will," said Clark.

Harry remembered the time when he jumped over the dustbins up to the school roof in grade school. He said, "As Roald Dahl said, 'To unlock that power, all you need to do is to practice.'"

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Clark asked nervously, clutching Ron's Cleansweep Twelve in his hand.

"There's nothing to be worried about, Clark," Harry said calmingly. "Most likely, you'll have the Potter's trademark talent in Quidditch. You'll need to know how to fly a broom, anyway, because it's the wizarding world's standard way of travel."

"Look, Harry, I'm not exactly crazy about heights."

"Jeez, Clark, you're acting as if you've never flown before."

Not consciously, thought Clark, but it was useless to try to convince Harry otherwise.

"Okay," Harry said, "All you've got to do is to lay the broom on your right, put your hand over it and say 'up.'"

"Up!" Clark commanded. The broomstick jumped to his open hand instantly, just like when Harry first did.

"Excellent," commended Harry. He showed Clark how to mount his broom, and when he did so too, he said, "Kick off on three. One, two, three!"

The familiar feeling of flight washed over Harry as he kicked off. He watched Clark, and saw that his expression of worry had slowly turned to ecstasy. To Clark, it was like… being free. Clark leaned down the handle, accelerating at a constant rate, bringing the broomstick to its maximum speed. Harry caught up with him with his Firebolt. "Having fun?"

"This is great," said Clark, rapture in his experience evident on his face as they flew together at high speeds. Faster and faster they went, across the woods and other places, barely visible. Faster, faster and faster. They were had accelerated at such a high velocity that Harry doubted that their brooms could go any faster, but they went faster anyway. After an hour, it seemed, that they had been flying, probably having been through the entire country with their speed, the two siblings decided that it was time to stop. The rest would probably be looking for them, anyway. After much deliberation, the two were finally back in the backyard of Godric's Hollow.

"Did you see how fast we were going? I never thought those brooms would ever go that fast. Should they have?" Clark said.

Harry looked deep in thought, "I don't think they should. From what I know, Ron's Cleansweep can go up to seventy miles per hour, and the Firebolt can go a hundred and fifty miles per hour."

"You mean to say, that speed… is from… us?" Clark said.

"There can't be any other source, now can it? However, as far as I know, we can't accelerate something that fast without moving ourselves. The brooms shouldn't have been able to go _that _fast."

"So this means, even if we can't fly without a broom consciously, and we still need the support," Clark said with a grin, as Harry finished the sentence for him.

"We are the ones doing the flying."

Harry and Clark wore satisfied grins as they came to look for their friends. The potions lab was empty. They had probably finished the first part of the potion. Beside the potions lab was their father's laboratory, where Harry eventfully experienced another Kryptonite exposure. Curious as to what things it held, they entered the lab, taking care not to go to the general vicinity of the Kryptonite experiments. Clark found a glass cabinet that seemed to preserve things within it. One of those things looked like a pensieve. He pulled it out of the cabinet, taking the pensieve that was swirling with silver mist.

"What have you found, Clark?"

"It's a pensieve. And it has a few memories too," he replied. Harry came to look at what his brother had found, and then tapped his wand on the swirling contents. It cleared into an image of the Hogwarts grounds.

"It's something about Hogwarts, Clark. Do you want to go and see?"

"Okay then, Harry," Clark shrugged, not really knowing what it was like to get into a memory.

Taking Clark with him, Harry plunged his face into the pensieve. The familiar feeling of tumbling in darkness overwhelmed him the way it did when he and Dumbledore used to do this. He just hoped that whatever revelation he discovered would be a good one.

His feet landed with a soft thud onto the grounds of Hogwarts. A feeling of nostalgia swept him as he saw the enormous beech tree that he and his friends used to sit under. Now, he saw James Potter, along with the Marauders, and surprisingly, Lily.

"That's mom and dad, right?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, looks like they're finally together. Mum used to detest him," Harry responded. He was correct. He saw his parents' Head Boy and Head Girl badges, which meant that they were in seventh year, the year they got together. He also explained to him the Marauders, how they liked playing pranks, what they did now and how Pettigrew betrayed them.

They watched the scene unfold before their very eyes as they walked closer to their parents. Apparently, it was James' memory, as they realized that they couldn't go anywhere without James. Clark, beside Harry, marveled at the sheer similarity that he had with his father. He muttered, "Strong genes, all right," as Harry chuckled.

The two sons of Lily and James watched, entranced, as they saw their parents holding hands. James was laughing as Lily made a comment. Both of them looked older and more mature than when Harry last saw them in Snape's memory.

"Potter, if you don't take control this instant, I'll hex you into the next week," Lily said covertly. She seemed to be sidling away from the Marauders, pulling James along with her.

James was chuckling. He never saw Lily really blushing as much as she was now. "Can't help it, Lils, you know that." He tried to make his best puppy-dog face but failed spectacularly as he was halfway between a giggle and an attempt at concentrating. To Clark and Harry's astonishment, an odd fiery red glow appeared in James' eyes. _Now _they knew what was going on, and their faces turned from interested to slightly horrified, not wanting to see their parents flirt.

"Come on, James, _stop it!" _Lily said, turning red as ever. "I don't want to see those eyes of yours like that or I will personally dunk your head in a toilet! At least you won't burn a thing."

Quite the opposite, James' eyes glowed even brighter. His cheeks also flushed. "Aw, come on, Lily. You know I love you. And besides, the fire you give me is way too strong to be stopped by a toilet."

"Just stop checking me out!"

"I'm not checking you out! It's just that I love you. That's enough to set off heat vision, right?" James said innocently. It was a good thing that they were out of earshot of anyone.

"Alright then," said Lily, "I want you to take that fire off your eyes, or else I'll do as I promised."

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, Lils, calm down," James said. He closed his eyes and took slow, relaxing breaths. When he opened them, the red glow was gone.

"Thank God, James. At this rate, our disguise is so thin that I'm surprised people can't see right through us," Lily said solemnly. The air seemed to go from comical to serious.

James paused for a moment before speaking. "I know. It's only a matter of time. I mean Remus was discovered eventually, right? With all the things that we have to lie about, in the end, the truth will be out there, staring at them in the face," said James. He reached out his hand to hold Lily's. They were soft and warm, he thought. He was so happy that he had someone to confide with about the little out-of-this-world "problem." "Remus used to lie about where he went once a month. I think we are doing something similar when we can't explain something."

"Yeah. It's just like Regulus too. Did you notice that he is always absent from classes? I wonder what he's up to, but Sirius doesn't know either," said Lily.

"No idea. He's probably in detention or in the hospital wing. Bad luck usually comes to Slytherins," said James, a hint of slight arrogance returning.

"What did I tell you about inter-house relations?" Lily said, making a stern face at her boyfriend.

"Yes, yes, I remember. Together we stand, divided we fall. Didn't that come from a Muggle song?" James cited.

"Shut up, Potter. Let's get back to the Marauders. They'll be looking for us."

The couple walked back from the deserted lake to the beech tree. Remus was there, practicing an incantation for the N.E.W.T.'s. Wormtail looked as if he was drawing something in the air trying hard to visualize something as a book lay on his lap. Sirius looked somewhat bored, as his two friends had deserted him for studying.

"You two lovebirds are finally back!" Sirius cried in glee, "I'm getting bored out of my skull here. These two," he pointed at Remus and Peter, "are missing the better things in life. Where have you been?"

"Oh, we just had a little talk," Lily said.

"Just talking?" Sirius asked incredulously. "You two looked like you were having quite the moment."

"No, honestly, we were just talking," said James, but he was blushing from the neck upwards. Unbeknownst to Lily or anyone else save Harry and Clark, his eyes once again flared.

"Tell that to Malfoy. He's coming towards us," Remus said, looking up and speaking for the first time. Indeed, a younger version of Lucius Malfoy, strutting just like his son, was walking up to them flanked by two cronies who looked a lot like the fat Crabbe and Goyle of the present.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" James asked, seeming bored. The red in his eyes seemed very faint, as if he was trying to force it down.

"I heard you and your little Mudblood got detention," said Lucius coolly. James' fists clenched and Lily's eyes narrowed. "Apparently being Head Boy and Girl doesn't mean you can be above the law, Potter."

"No, but being Head Boy means I can give out detentions, even to Prefects," James growled.

"What did you do, Potter? Did you shag with your little Mudblood whore in some empty classroom?" That did the trick. James' eyes turned fiery red, fueled by his love for Lily and his anger at Lucius. To the blonde's surprise, his robes caught fire. As quick as lightning, Lily drew out James' wand for him and put it in his hand, so that everyone in the vicinity would think that it was only an _Incendio. _She was glaring at James for losing control again.

In the meantime, Lucius Malfoy ran around like a headless chicken. "Get it off me! Get it off me!" he cried, the hot flames licking his robes. Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem to want to move, unsure of what to do.

"Malfoy, if you weren't such a birdbrain, you'd just do an _Aguamenti_!" yelled Lily. Lucius, however, could not calm down enough to do so, and nobody was helping him.

"Come on, you guys," James motioned to Remus, Sirius and Peter. "Let's leave this chicken. We don't want any of his bird flu to catch us."

And with that, the memory ended. Clark and Harry naturally tumbled out of the pensieve with crooked smiles on their faces.

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

Wormtail walked down the halls of the Dark Lord Voldemort's pristine halls of black marble, its halls filled with jade accents and silver curtains. "The Dark Lord wishes to see you," Wormtail sniveled, and Draco Malfoy walked slowly and carefully. One could say it was refined, but most people would say that he was taking all the time he dared before he strode into the Dark Lord's presence.

The small, bald man opened the double doors elaborately carved with serpents and fire. On a chair made of black marble and silver metal, the most fearsome man in a century sat with a regal yet dark air emanating from him.

Draco Malfoy walked to the Dark Lord, trying to make his steps as quiet as possible as if it would irritate the man, then knelt to kiss Voldemort's ebony robes. Voldemort showed no emotion as Malfoy stood up. "Fenrir Greyback tells me that your simple task of keeping those Muggles has failed, Malfoy."

"I am sorry, my Lord. We tried-"

"But Potter was in the way," Voldemort cut off. His red serpentine eyes were glowing dangerously. "Tell me, Draco, how did Harry Potter find out where you are, free the Muggles, and nearly subdue you?"

Malfoy bowed his head, saying, "I don't know how he found us, my Lord. But he did some magic to-"

"I _know _he did magic, you fool. But surely, it is not very easy to fight two wizards and two strong, mutated Muggles alone, when I have heard from Greyback that you were having a hard making those Muggles docile," Voldemort said coldly.

"Well, sir, Potter was actually quite fast. I suppose he was, I don't know, training."

"You were training too, Malfoy, were you not? Well then, I suppose all that training is useless for you cannot even overcome your own former classmate. I'm not sure you want to be… cut off like dear Fenrir," Voldemort said, his calculating grin further distorting his features.

"No! Please, my lord, I'll never fail again! I know Potter. I used to be his classmate. I might be able to give useful information!" Malfoy pleaded.

"Your cover is already blown, Draco. You are of no more use to me." Voldemort took out his wand, pointing it casually at Malfoy.

"No, Potter still doubts me. Some students are also my connections. I might be able to do something about it," said Malfoy, who wasn't too sure about what he himself was saying.

Voldemort had a ghost of a smile as he lowered his wand, as if this was the exact thing that he wanted Malfoy to say. "Alright then, Draco, make sure you never fail me again."

Draco looked relieved. "Thank you, my lord. You are most merciful." He turned to leave and as he reached the door, a voice made him stop.

"Oh, and Draco?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"_Crucio!_"

Torturous screams filled the chamber. Finally, it stopped, and Malfoy hurriedly left the room.

"How _did _you fight them all, Potter? What did you do?" Voldemort murmured. "Someday, I'll know exactly what secret you are holding," He took a vial containing glowing silvery contents from a secret compartment in the throne. "There's something that tells me that you are more involved in this whole 'fiasco' than anyone else thinks."


	9. Out of the Ashes

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Author's Note: I would like to note some things that I haven't been able to say in the previous chapters. I am following Smallville's idea of Clark's powers most of the time. For example, Superman cannot lie, while in Smallville, Clark has lied to Lana, Pete, Chloe and Lex a countless number of times. Clark and Harry are also capable of blushing, even if others say that Superman can't. However, I really like Superman Return's style of doing X-ray vision, so if it ever happens in this story, think of it that way, not blue skeletons. So once again, thank you for your reviews, and I mean THANK YOU, especially those who have been with me from chapter to chapter. Please review again, and tell me the good things and the things that I need to improve about this fic. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Out of the Ashes

It was two o' clock in the afternoon in Godric's Hollow, a Sunday. They all decided that it was time to laze around the house. Ron was playing chess by himself in the kitchen, turning the board around and around with a Chess Guide in his left hand. Ginny was browsing through the _Daily Prophet _in the living roomwhile Hermione, whose idea of lazing about was different from the rest of them, was adding a few ingredients to her batch of Felix Felicis down the lab. Harry was reading his copy of _The Secrets of the Animagi _in his room, next to Clark.

Clark, on the other hand, had his laptop out, trying to figure out how to connect on the Internet magically, as Hermione had done. He didn't want to ask the girl while she was brewing her potion, feeling that Hermione wouldn't be very happy to be disturbed. Breaking the silence unceremoniously, "I connected to the Internet!" Clark said gleefully, "And for free, at that!" Chloe's face filled the screen as he activated the web cam.

"Hello, Clark! You're finally online! Thank God!" Chloe said, her voice slightly mechanical as she spoke. She looked as she always did, with her hair short and her smart casual clothes sassy and neat. Her brown eyes sparkled with her usual cheer.

"I missed you too, Chloe," Clark said, smirking as he did so. At the sound of Chloe's name, Harry went up to see her. Clark continued, "It's pretty hard to connect to the Internet in a place with no telephone line." Chloe winced. "But it's alright. Magic has its uses."

At that moment, Harry was already beside Clark. She said, "Hey there, Harry. How have you guys been?"

"Everything's great, actually. I finally got Clark on a broomstick. You never told me that he was scared of heights." At that, Chloe laughed.

Clark retorted, "Hey, it was my first time! Besides, I'm not the one who set the table on fire because of this girl called You-Know-Who!"

Chloe looked amused at Harry's embarrassment. "Aw, Harry's growing up," she said. Harry gave her a venomous glare, though his lips betrayed his amusement too.

"Anyway," said Chloe, changing the subject, "have you got any leads on where the Elixir is?"

"Well," said Clark, "all that happened is that Voldemort made some experiment that went awry, and the same thing happened to a married couple as what Lois experienced."

"And am I correct to assume that you two saved the day again?"

"Well, yeah."

"I knew it. I'm glad to know that you're making progress. Lex, on the other hand, looks as if he's going nuts about what happened. He's had whole detective teams looking for the Elixir. He's becoming snappish too, easily losing his cool, literally. And between you and me, _that's_ saying something."

"Losing his cool? He must want it really bad," said Harry. "But I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to find it. If it were a bet between Lex and Voldemort, I'm betting on Voldemort even if I loathe to admit it."

"So how's everyone in Smallville, by the way?" asked Clark.

"I'm okay, as you can see. Well, as okay as I can possibly be, anyway. Your mom is pretty much fine, except that Lionel keeps stopping over at your house. Again. And it doesn't seem as if the Luthor charm is working, though," replied Chloe.

"That's good. As much as I want to give Lionel the benefit of the doubt, I'm not sure if I'm ready to handle such a thing."

"I know, Clark," Chloe agreed, "But you have to help me here. Lex, Lana and Lois, I know, all L's in case you haven't noticed, keep asking me and your mom where you've gone. I told you that you got a scholarship in a British institute whose name I forgot, but Lex doesn't seem convinced. We need a better alibi than that."

"Well, you can't put in Oxford or something. They might hack into the school records and find out that you're not there," Harry supplied. "And we can't put in Hogwarts either."

"Wait, maybe we can. I mean Hogwarts students disappear off Muggle society at the age of eleven. How does the wizarding world cover that up?" Clark asked.

"Oh yeah, I remember Hermione saying something about that in _Hogwarts: A History._ They make a substitute pseudo school called William Blake High. Make it sound boring, and add some Muggle-repellant charms, then Muggles will ignore it with no problem," said Harry.

"Thanks guys. I really needed that," spoke Chloe, "Uh-oh. Here comes Lana. Do you want to talk to her or shall I sign out?"

Clark's expression was unreadable as he said, "Just sign it out, Chloe. I'll catch up with you later. It's great meeting you again."

"Bye, then," Chloe said, just before a glimpse of Lana's face appeared on the screen, and it signed off.

Clark let out a sigh. He wasn't willing to talk to Lana yet. It might lead to another fight. He followed Harry downstairs, who was going to get something to snack on. Along the way, Harry saw Ginny muttering angrily at the _Daily Prophet _issue she was holding.

"What's going on, Ginny?" asked Harry. Ginny gave him the newspaper, still fuming. Harry began to read one of the articles in the front page.

Scrimgeour Disapproves Hogwarts Enrollment 

"What?" Clark said incredulously over Harry's shoulder.

_Yesterday, esteemed Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour gave the press legal statements that the attendance of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is currently disagreeable. Scrimgeour says, "With the late Headmaster Dumbledore gone, his wards and other protections would disappear, and as we know, he alone could provide such protection. Furthermore, with the murder of the Headmaster by one of the teaching staff, we could no longer trust others, even those at Hogwarts. Unless Dumbledore would come back, which I am sure is quite impossible; there is no way that his protection will embrace the students once more, just by asking for it. We do not even know what Dumbledore did to make the wards, or what he did during his absences the previous school year. We are very far away from making Hogwarts a safe haven."_

"So Scrimgeour wants to know where he's gone, and he wants to look like he's trying to protect the students. Typical," muttered Harry angrily. "And he's stomping on the student's education and the teachers' integrity while he's at it. And it's like he's asking me again to tell what Dumbledore did."

"What's going on?" Hermione asked. She was done with the potion for today, and was currently looking for the rest of them. Right behind her was Ron, who had already finished his chess game by checkmating himself. Ginny showed them the article, and similar reactions were garnered from them as they finished reading it.

"Ah well, that's Scrimgeour. There's nothing we can do about it except stomp all over his stupid little speeches and do things our way," said Ron. "Ooh, Dumbledore's gone. It's not safe but I'm here to protect you! Just follow what I say!" he mimicked comically. The rest of the chuckled.

"That's right," said Hermione with a sigh, though her lips were slightly quirking from seeing Ron's act. "We don't need to listen to him saying that we should support the Ministry. They can't protect us anyway."

"Heck, they can't even capture Pettigrew," Ginny muttered. "How can they offer to protect us when they can't even see unregistered Animagi right under their noses?"

"I bet anything that even if we turned into Animagi, Scrimgeour's overblown ego would still overlook it," said Clark.

"That's right," said Harry, all of a sudden with a sparkle in his eye. "What if we became Animagi? It would be a hell of an advantage in a battle, and the Ministry wouldn't even know it." Clark rolled his eyes, knowing where this conversation was leading.

"Now _that's _an idea," said Ron. "Wouldn't it be cool if we could turn into lions, eagles and thestrals at will?"

"You can't turn into a thestral, Ron," Hermione lectured. "No one ever has turned into a magical creature. It's impossible to replicate the properties."

"That's where you're wrong, Hermione," Harry said coolly. Discreetly, he charmed his copy of _The Secrets of the Animagi _to add the knowledge he found in James' research, though slightly editing it, including the fine print that Clark had missed. There was no way that he was going to make Hermione believe that it was possible without telling her everything, except for this. Showing it to Hermione, the girl read from the amounts of powdered meteorite mixtures to the other information regarding magical Animagi.

…_Aside from the use of different-colored meteorites in the mixture as specificied above, transformations to magical entities still include a part, or as Muggles would call it, a DNA sample of the magical creature, therefore making it possible to adapt the transformation according to the magical properties of the animal. This is also applicable to non-magical Animagus transformations._

"See?" Harry remarked. "It's possible to become a magical Animagus. You just need to have the right ingredients."

"Are you sure about this, Harry? I mean I never heard of using meteorites in a potion before," Ginny said.

"We've never heard of doing magical Animagi before, have we?"

Clark, as if after giving it a lot of thought, sighed, "You know what? I say it's worth a shot. If we fail, then we try again and work something out."

Hermione looked as if she was about to argue, but she finally conceded. Next to her, Clark was the most sensible one in the group. Harry released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding, happy that somehow, they were actually increasing their skills as a team, as friends.

"Oh, all right," mumbled Hermione. "But where do we get the ingredients like the DNA and the meteorites?"

"Well, actually," said Clark, quite uncomfortably, "I think I saw some back in Smallville. There are green and red meteor rocks in there, a lot of them, from the 1982 meteor shower. I… uh… collected them sometimes."

Good one, Clark, thought Harry. That would explain him having them, even if he would steal some from the lab, which Harry knew Clark would. He couldn't have brought enough Kryptonite for all of them.

"Are you sure those are the same ones specified here? I mean, it might have originated someplace else," said Ginny.

"Sure they are," Ron said. "There are a few meteor showers with red and green meteor rocks in them, right?"

"But what about the DNA? And what animal DNA are we going to acquire?" Ginny pointed out.

There was a moment of silence. With everyone deep in thought, thinking of what magical creatures the group wanted to become, they took their time trying to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity. Seconds ticked by with no one talking.

Finally, Hermione broke the deafening silence. "I want to be a Unicorn. I know it is fantasy girl stuff, but if you would research it, Unicorns are very fast, and their horns are pure magic. I know that this theory might be absurd, but in case we lose our wands, there's a very high chance that a unicorn could provide an alternative, with so many parts of it potent with magic."

With this statement, the rest of them seemed to gather courage in saying what animal they wanted to become, even if it was rather wild. Ginny spoke up. "A Kelpie would be a good idea. They can shape shift to any form that they want, even if they can't duplicate their powers. It might be pretty useful, actually. Imagine being able to sneak around as Mrs. Norris and never get caught."

"Can you transform into a human being as a Kelpie?" Clark asked, recalling Tina Greer. He had to admit, being able to shape shift would be very useful.

"I'm not sure, but it's worth a try. Maybe I'll turn into Dumbledore and scare the hell of out Scrimgeour," Ginny joked. "So what about you, Clark?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a Griffin, but it's way too Gryffindorish. Do you, uh, think that it's possible to become a Dragon?"

"That would be cool, you know, it suits you," said Harry, "Maybe you could breath lots of fire, fly, and be really strong with that Animagus form. I also saw in a cartoon Dudley was watching that they can hear pretty well, but that's Muggle television." Harry was smirking by now, knowing that Clark got the hint. Clark made an exasperated look, but his brother's approval seemed to make himself surer of his choice, with most of his powers intact and explainable.

"What's a letavision?" asked Ron.

Hermione looked as if she was trying to control herself from rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Ron, you should take Muggle Studies." She immediately slipped into lecture mode. "Television is a form of Muggle entertainment. It has moving pictures in it that depict stories varying from horror to science fiction to romance. There's even stuff about magic, but sometimes, Muggles get it really wrong. They say fairies are nice and wise, witches are wrinkly with warts on their noses and eat kids, and wizards all look like Merlin and Dumbledore."

At that, Ron snorted. Muggles were absurd. "There's no way that I'm growing my hair like Dumbledore did. I'd rather turn invisible forever, like a Thestral. Wait, that's right! A Thestral could be my form!" Harry could almost see a light bulb pop from his head.

"You know, Ron? I think it suits you. I mean, you would be able to turn invisible, which would be darn useful, and you would be able to fly at high speeds with a good sense of direction, which would thankfully be an improvement," said Ginny.

Ron did not know whether to be glad at the approval of his idea, or to be indignant for the slight insult. He settled with nodding.

"So what about you, Harry?" Hermione inquired curiously, almost like a reporter fishing for her scoop. "What Animagus form would you wish to be?" Everyone else looked at him, waiting for his answer, even though they had knowing looks in their eyes.

"Well," said Harry slowly, biting his lip as he thought hard, "I don't know. I like flying, so I suppose it's got wings. I also need something strong and fast, and able to recover quickly. I don't know what animal that would be, though. It's pretty hard to find one." He paused, and all of a sudden, words that he thought he never would have said aloud rolled off his tongue. "Dumbledore would probably know, but unfortunately, he's dead and gone. I miss him, though. It's pretty hard; he's like a grandfather to me. I could very much use his help right now, not only with choosing a form, but he's the only father figure I had left."

Despite the grief that he felt suddenly coming out and being brought to the surface, he felt something soothing him. It was so warm, he thought, as he listened to the sounds in the air. There was a soft song floating through the wind. He suddenly recognized it: phoenix song. Before he could puzzle over the weird sound, a flash of fire brought him back to Godric's Hollow. The warm yet gentle fire dissipated, and Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, appeared before their very eyes.

"_I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me… Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." _Harry recalled Dumbledore's words, and here was living proof of it. Fawkes was there, even if Harry was not in Hogwarts.

"Looks like your form dropped on your lap, mate," Ron said. "Pretty convenient if you ask me."

"Where did he come from?" asked Clark.

"Well, he used to be Dumbledore's familiar, but I guess he want to stay with us, do you, Fawkes?" Harry replied.

Fawkes gave the smallest of nods, surprising the young wizards that the bird understood. Then, after floating a little, Fawkes released a reddish gold feather, which fell in Harry's open hands. The bird then perched on Clark's shoulder. Clark looked surprised, but welcomed the gesture.

"Why?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Harry, Fawkes just gave you his DNA. He wants you to be able to become a phoenix Animagus," Hermione explained.

"But…" Harry trailed off when Clark cut him off.

"Look, I may not have met Fawkes before, but I think it's a good idea to trust him. Besides, with being a phoenix, you can carry heavy loads, do that teleportation thing that Fawkes did earlier, fly, heal with tears, and actually be our resident pep talk maker."

"Not to mention you could be practically immortal, though I don't know if you're going to turn into a baby or something. I don't think I could deal with changing your diapers," Ron joked.

Harry glared at him, but he seemed to finally agree to the idea. With all their Animagus forms set, all they had to do was to collect the DNA and get on with the process.

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Harry?" Ginny asked. "Aren't there Acromantulas in here?"

"Hey, that's my line!" Ron exclaimed, trying to break the tension as he, Ginny, Clark, Hermione and Harry walked as quietly as possible in the Forbidden Forest. Harry, as decisive and impulsive as ever, thought that it would be a good idea to start searching for animal DNA right the following day, with a lot of persuasion on both Weasley's part. They Apparated to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Apparation wards were not effective.

"Well, our other option is buying the DNA in Diagon Alley as potion ingredients, but we wouldn't know where they got them, right? What if the Thestral had a rare disease or something?" Harry asked rhetorically.

"We'll be the ones getting the disease if we actually go into the forest," Ron replied, fear evident in his voice.

"Unless you want to go to the zoo and become an iguana instead?" asked Harry, who was starting to become impatient.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," muttered Ron.

"So which animal are we going to find first?" Clark inquired.

Hermione replied, "Well, Dragons are not exactly common, Harry already has his Phoenix DNA, the only definite Kelpie habitat is Loch Ness, Unicorns are here but are pretty fast, so our best bet is a Thestral."

"We need blood," Ginny said. "Does anyone have meat or something?"

"No one," Hermione replied, but flourished her wand and conjured what remarkably like fresh-cut beef. "But now we do."

Ron rolled his eyes, but the tips of his lips were quirking. "Show off," he joked, as he nudged Hermione by the elbow lightly.

They waited a few minutes, Hermione wafting the beef around then finally laying it on the forest floor. Out of the woods and into the clearing, several thestrals came and started for the meat.

"Okay, Ronald, there's your thestral. Get its tail hair already!" Ginny whispered, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Alright, alright, Gin. Take it easy!" Ron muttered, marching forward towards the creature. Thanks to the homicide of the enormous Death Eater last year by Avada Kedavra, he could now see its skeletal features, white eyes and intimidating stance, being a little bigger that others like it was a stallion. Slowly going behind the horse-like beast, as if afraid that it was going to kick him, he walked until he plucked out the tail hair as quickly as he dared. The thestral didn't seem to mind much, other than giving a slightly irritated whinny. Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well done, Ron," Hermione commended as Ron's ears heated up. "That's enough for the day, don't you think?"

"What about we go to Hogwarts? We are pretty much near, and we're not in a hurry," put in Harry.

"Yeah, I was thinking about that. Come to think of it, I'd like to see it too," said Clark.

Before they could walk back to the Hogwarts grounds, a deep, low growl set everyone's senses on the alert. In the darkness, amber eyes reflecting light appeared. Those eyes belonged to a four-legged animal, hackles raised, claws extended, and teeth bared. At first, Harry thought it to be a wolf, but his Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons kicked in, as he noticed the snout and the tail.

"I'm not sure about this, but I have a feeling that this thing isn't just a wolf, is it?" Clark asked, apprehensive.

"Nope," Ron muttered, his face paling by the second, "Definitely not."

Without warning, the werewolf pounced straight at Ginny. The beast rabidly snapped at her neck, while Ginny was trying to hold it away from her by pushing it with no success. Too strong for her, the werewolf went in for the kill, but not before a force dragged it from Ginny, threw it in the air and into a tree, knocking it unconscious.

"H-Harry?" stuttered Ginny. Her hair pasted to her forehead, she was extremely pale and sweaty, and her breathing was fast and shallow. She fainted. With Ginny still in Harry's arms, he carried her with the ease of carrying a balloon. Everyone else was relieved, it seemed, that Harry was taking care of it. Hermione, however, was unreadable.

Only Hermione had the courage to walk over and scrutinize at the werewolf that attacked them. Clark vaguely noted the night going darker, if that was possible. To everyone's shock, the werewolf who almost either killed or ruined Ginny's life transformed into one of the closest persons to Harry's heart.

"Moony?"

//\\//\\//\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I had a bad case of writer's block. I hope that this chapter is not so bad, though, so tell me what you think. By the way, I took the idea of taking the DNA from K.A. Applegate's "Animorphs".


	10. Soul Searching

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Life can be like that sometimes… Well, maybe I own the plot, but still…

Author's Note: Thank you, once again, for your wonderful reviews. I know I'm being redundant saying this in every chapter, but hey, I'm just thankful I could say thanks. But for me to be able to thank you again, you've got to review. Thanks!

Chapter 10

Soul-searching

"Moony?" Hermione muttered in shock. The rest of them reciprocated similar reactions. What was he doing in the Forbidden Forest, of all places?

The man whom Hermione called was lying on the floor in extremely tattered robes, his skin rather clammy, and his hair drenched in sweat, as well as in the rain that was suddenly starting. Ron came up beside Hermione and muttered, _"Ennervate!"_

On command, Remus Lupin's eyes fluttered open. "Hermione, Ron, is that you? What's going on?" Quite suddenly, he sat up, clutching his head in pain and dawning comprehension. "Oh God…" he said in horror.

"It's alright, Professor Lupin. Ginny wasn't hurt," said Hermione, effectively empathizing with the werewolf, "Or was she?"

Harry carried Ginny near the clearing in which Remus sat. Using his x-ray vision, he scanned Ginny's body for signs of hemorrhages, wounds or worse, werewolf bites. To his relief she was in a good condition, save for a few scratches on her arms and legs, as well as her unconsciousness. "She'll be fine," Harry assured them.

"I'm sorry this happened," apologized Remus. "With Severus, well, gone, I had to make the Wolfsbane potion for myself, and it took a much longer time that when he did it. It's not yet ready, and when the full moon came, I decided to transform in the Forbidden Forest, so that the students would be safe. I should have taken more precaution."

"We're sorry too. We weren't supposed to be in the Forbidden Forest. We were just… er…" Harry mumbled.

"Just what?" Remus asked, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "I'm sure that you didn't all desire a little midnight stroll, did you?"

Harry decided to get on with it. "We were planning to become Animagi, and we found a way to become magical ones…"

"So you decided to get their DNA in here, is that it?" Remus completed for him. "Though I am quite amazed at how you found a way to become magical Animagi, I'm sure you can tell me later, at a more convenient time and place: maybe at the castle? I have a good feeling that with this heavy rain, the full moon will be quite hidden." With that, Remus stood up and set off in the direction of the school. The rest of the group followed and stood alongside him. "Oh, and by the way, may I ask who this young man in your company is?" Remus asked, pointing to Harry's doppelganger.

"Oh, sorry," Harry said, "Professor Lupin, this is Clark Kent, my cousin. Clark, this is Professor Lupin, he used to teach at Hogwarts."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Clark, though I must say you look quite a lot like Harry and his father. I assume you are related to James' side of the family?"

"Yes, sir. James Potter was my uncle," Clark replied flawlessly. "His sister lives in the United States. I just came to see Harry."

"That's great. Having you here will be good for Harry and everyone else. And for your information, I am still teaching at Hogwarts."

Ron excitedly asked, "Did you become the Defense teacher again?"

Remus smiled, "Oh no. Quite the contrary, Professor McGonagall has set up the curriculum to add Muggle Defense, a useful subject that will help the students if ever they are faced with a battle and their wand was lost. It is also optional, so that the parents may choose to send their children to the course I am teaching or not." He said the last part with a sort of melancholy. Harry understood why.

"So who is the Defense Teacher?" Hermione inquired.

"Oh, you know her very well," Remus replied. "It's none other than Nymphadora Tonks. It's a pity you aren't in Hogwarts now. She's a brilliant teacher. Which reminds me, why did you not go to Hogwarts this year? I can't blame you, really, with so few students enrolled nowadays because of the Minister, but I'd think at least Harry would go. Unless you all have an ulterior motive?"

They all looked at each other. Harry sighed. It wouldn't hurt to tell Remus anyway. "Remus, do you know what Horcruxes are?" Remus eyes went wide as saucers. "I'll take that as a yes. We're after Voldemort's Horcruxes. Dumbledore told me that it's most probable he's got seven. We have destroyed two, but we still need to find something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's, Hufflepuff's cup, the snake he has called Nagini, and a locket which Dumbledore and I tried to get but couldn't. So far, all the clues we have is that someone called R.A.B. took the locket, and we have to find out who that man is before we go off to the other Horcruxes."

"R.A.B., you say? Let me think. I'm sure I've heard of someone with the initials R.A.B," Lupin said. He bit his lip. "The only person I can think of is Regulus Black. I am not sure if his middle name is starts with an 'A', though."

'Him? Isn't that Sirius' brother who joined the Death-Eaters, backed out and got killed?" Ron asked.

"So I have heard, but maybe it isn't really the story. Maybe he joined the Death-Eaters as a cover or something," Remus speculated.

"So what do we do?" asked Hermione.

"We check Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place."

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

The following morning, Harry, Ron, Clark, Hermione and Ginny Apparated to Grimmauld Place. Remus was already there, and gave them a slip of paper with a familiar stiff script saying what a loopy script used to say to those about to see the Headquarters. The Order of the Phoenix rebuilt the wards that Dumbledore made, and changed its Secret Keeper to that of Professor McGonagall, who was currently acting as Head.

When they entered, the place was a little cleaner than Harry remembered, though it was still gloomy from the many reminders of the death of Sirius Black. There was no one inside, for the meeting wasn't for another few days. Kreacher was still at Hogwarts, thankfully, and there was no one to bother them. They came to the large tapestry, still hung to the wall, its faded golden thread saying:

The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

"Toujours Pur"

Harry's eyes swiveled down to the name REGULUS BLACK. He traced it up to the name VEGA AQUILA, the mother of Sirius and Regulus. Apparently, R.A.B. fits Regulus Aquila Black with no problem. It was actually rather easy. Way too easy.

"So now we have confirmed that R.A.B. is Regulus Black. Now what? Where's the locket Horcrux?" Ginny asked.

"Well, it can be anywhere in the house, unless it's destroyed, though I highly doubt that, given what the other one did to Dumbledore's hand last year," Hermione responded.

"I think I remember a locket in one of the shelves over there. We couldn't open it, and it was really heavy too," said Ron.

"But we threw that away two years ago along with most of the silverware," Hermione pointed out.

"Maybe it's still somewhere in the house? Where did Sirius throw away all the junk?" asked Remus.

"No idea," muttered Harry. "Unless… KREACHER!"

With a loud pop, Kreacher, the senile and demented house-elf, at least according to everyone's opinion save for Hermione's, appeared within the room, covered in a loincloth and holding a tea tray obviously from Hogwarts. Apparently, the creature was still alive.

"And the half-blood calls Kreacher like he was the master of the house… Oh my poor mistress, the half-blood's blood traitor friends took the last of her and all the treasures of the Blacks down… If they only knew…" Kreacher muttered to himself in a malicious undertone.

"Knew _what, _Kreacher?" Harry snapped.

"Kreacher is delighted to see Master Potter again," said Kreacher, immediately snapping to an oily tone.

"Kreacher, do you know where the locket is? The one that was thrown away two years ago?" Harry asked urgently.

The house-elf's expression became shocked. His knowledge of the locket's significance couldn't have been more obvious. "It is here, Master Potter," Kreacher said with pure venom.

"And where exactly is here?" asked Ginny with equal venom.

"In my home, Mistress Weasley."

"Bring it, then," said Harry. Kreacher Disapparated, and after waiting for five more minutes, he reappeared. Kreacher reluctantly brought out the silver locket, and when Hermione asked to take it, she could hardly get it from the house-elf's grip.

The locket was indeed heavy, as if the piece of soul within it was being pulled down by gravity. Intricate engravings covered its oval face. "So how do we destroy it?" Clark asked, finally speaking up after observing everything in the house.

"No idea," Harry muttered, "I stuck the Basilisk fang in Riddle's diary, but I'm not sure if we can just get a fang and stick it in the locket or something."

"We should just make sure that we don't get a shriveled arm after this," Ron replied.

"There are many possibilities. Dip it in poison, burn it, melt it down, hammer it, use a Severing Charm, use a bomb…" enumerated Hermione.

"A bomb?" asked Ron.

"If a bomb were used on you, imagine flying in the air, scattering yourself in a hundred tiny pieces while screaming at the top of your lungs," Clark said dryly.

"Oh." Seconds ticked by but the silence was thick. Everyone was thinking what to say next – scratch that – what to do next.

"You know what? Maybe we should try melting it first. I mean, it's the most practical, and the most probable," said Ginny.

"Okay, but we don't know what might happen. I think half of us should do shield charms while the other half use _Incendio_," suggested Remus. So they did. Harry, Ginny and Clark fired red beams of light at the locket. It formed a glowing white shield, which directly deflected the rays. Luckily, with Remus, Hermione and Ron's yells of the Shield Charm, the spells dissolved.

"Great, that worked," said Ginny, slightly annoyed.

"We just need more firepower," said Hermione. Once again, they fired their spells, shouting them now, but it ricocheted against the shield, which seemed to be glowing brighter than ever. Everyone squinted and shielded their eyes from the white lights and bouncing spells, while Harry and Clark nodded to each other, taking the opportunity to use their heat vision. Maybe, just maybe, their powers would be enough to break through the shield. So it did, and the rays of extreme heat penetrated the white shield. Slowly but surely, the locket began to melt, seeping the silver away. Before it completely melted, an echoing sound of pain reverberated through Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, and a pair of glowing red eyes, in their anguish, showed up and disappeared.

"Wow. Just like that?" sighed Ron.

"Yup, Ron, just like that," said Remus.

//\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\

Harry, Clark, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Remus all went back to Hogwarts after their little excursion. Remus invited them to stay the night, and being former Hogwarts students, save for Clark, who still wanted to see the place, they couldn't refuse. It was wonderful to be in the familiar castle again, they thought, while Clark marveled at the ghosts, talking suits of armor, numerous moving portraits and staircases. They walked through the marble halls towards what was now McGonagall's office, deciding to give her a visit. After going up the revolving staircase and knocking on the door, McGonagall's crisp voice said, "Come in."

They entered the Headmistress' office. The late Professor Dumbledore's whirring silvery gadgets were still there in a neater order, though there was definitely more books put in place, as well as more drapery and rugs. Pictures of the present Headmistress' family were put in neat gold-colored frames, while a violin lay in a corner. Still, the Sorting Hat and Gryffindor's sword still lay where they used to be. In the center of the room, Professor McGonagall was doing her paperwork, and looked up in surprise. "Dear me, what a pleasant surprise, Mr. Potter, Mr. and Ms. Weasley, Ms. Granger, and…"

"Mr. Kent, Professor," supplied Clark for her. "I'm Harry's cousin."

"Great to meet you, Mr. Kent," said McGonagall curtly.

"I have to admit, Hogwarts has missed you. There has been neither disregard of much school rules, nor discovery of ancient secrets, I believe," the Headmistress said with a ghost of a smile.

"We had to do some things that Dumbledore assigned me to," said Harry.

"About Voldemort?" she asked.

"Yes. As much as I'd like to tell you, I can't. Let's just say we had to do a little soul-searching," replied Harry cryptically.

"Alright, Harry, I respect that. However, you are welcome to stay here at Hogwarts anytime you all want. You can even get into the classes as long as you can all catch up. It's still October," she suggested.

Not this question again, Harry thought. "I'm sorry, Professor, but we really can't stay."

"I'm sure Hogwarts can do a little something for this 'soul-searching' of yours. After all, you have been here for six years. You know all of its resources," McGonagall persuaded. Besides Harry, his friends seemed eager to take up on what McGonagall said.

"Can you please excuse us for a minute?" Harry asked McGonagall. At her nod, they put their heads together.

"She does have a point there, Harry," Hermione whispered to him. "The library is an excellent resource, and what better place to find the items from the Founders of Hogwarts than Hogwarts itself?"

"And all the lessons wouldn't hurt," said Ginny.

"Especially without Snape or Malfoy, we'll all be at peace," said Ron.

"I could get used to this place too," Clark put in.

"Wait 'til you see the Room of Requirement. It's-" Ron said excitedly.

"Later, Ronald. We have to decide if we're staying or not," Hermione interjected. They all looked at Harry.

"Alright, guys. I give. I'm staying too," Harry fake-sighed. He was outnumbered, but he was glad. He really missed Hogwarts, and now he had an excuse to go back. They finally faced their teacher.

"Okay," Harry said to McGonagall. "We'll stay." He flicked his wand, and all the desired things that he needed that were in Godric's Hollow appeared. Everyone else did the same.

A smile crept up her face. "I'm glad you have made that decision. I suppose you will want to stay in the Gryffindor dormitories. And as for Mr. Kent here, I would like to know your background, so I may sign you up, if you please?"

Clark, having practiced this loads of times, said, "I am Harry Potter's cousin from James Potter, whose sister is my mother. My parents are Jonathan and Martha Kent. I live in Smallville, Kansas, but now I'm staying in the property Harry and I inherited: Godric's Hollow. I was home-schooled because there has been no magic school near our area. I have enough magical knowledge for to pass seventh year, even if I was not able to take up a few minor topics."

"Very well. If you pass the transferee entrance exam, then you will be able to take on the seventh year level," McGonagall said. Surprisingly, she only asked him to demonstrate a few sixth year spells, knowing that if he knew those, then he could catch up on anything quite easily. He succeeded well enough, thanks to Harry's knowledge transfer. "Wonderful," she said, "I'm sure you'll want to get sorted, then?"

"Sure," Clark said, though he was a little nervous. He knew that all of his friends were in Gryffindor. And if he ended up somewhere else, especially Slytherin…

"Ah, what have we here?" the hat asked. Clark almost jumped. "A little different from your typical wizard, eh? And a tougher nut to crack." Clark was worried. He knew instantly that the hat knew who he was. "Do not worry, Kal-El, your secret's safe with me. I see your brother is none other than Harry Potter, so I assume you'd be just as difficult to sort. You obviously have a lot of brains, with a higher brainwave curve than most humans, and you enjoy learning. You're a loyal friend. You never let anyone get hurt. You're pretty darn brave too, risking your life on a daily basis and as stubborn as the jinx on the Defense position. But then again, you are pretty wily so that you can do what you should, even with a certain disregard for rules, so you can prove yourself. But where to put you?"

"Not Slytherin, please? Come on, not Slytherin," Clark pleaded.

"Knew you'd say that. You and your brother are like two peas in a pod. I can see that he's made progress in his house. But you're different, aren't you?" the hat said.

"Not Slytherin. I still need to be there for my friends…" Clark could almost feel the hat roll its eyes.

"You may be different, but you still have that hero complex. You'll thrive in… GRYFFINDOR!"

Clark sighed in relief as he took off the hat. Ron let out a hoot, forgetting that McGonagall was there, while the rest of them clapped.

"I suppose you'll want to get in bed now," said McGonagall. "You may all stay in your former dormitories. Since Seamus Finnegan was not able to go to Hogwarts this year, you may use his bed, Clark." Everyone trudged up to the Gryffindor tower where they went up to their dorms. The other occupants were asleep in their beds, so they had no trouble falling asleep themselves.

The following morning, somebody was poking and prodding Harry away from his dreams of walking on the beach with Ginny. "Five more minutes, 'Mione," he mumbled. A snigger sounded from his bedside. Turning to see who was waking him, he saw Neville Longbottom's face swim into view.

"Neville! What am I doing here?" Harry said, sitting bolt upright.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Harry," Neville replied.

"Wha- oh! We got back to Hogwarts last night," Harry answered, the events of the previous day coming back to him.

"'We' as in you, Ron, and whoever this one on Seamus' bed is?" Neville asked. Harry glanced on the bed. Clark was fast asleep lying on his back with his legs crossed.

"Oh, that's Clark Kent, he's my br-cousin. He's an exchange student from Kansas." Whoops, Harry, he said to himself. That was close.

"Really? So he's a Yankee?" Neville said excitedly.

"Er, pretty much," said Harry.

"Cool. So where have you been all this time?"

"A little soul-searching," Harry responded cryptically.

"Okay," Neville said, not really knowing what else to say.

Ron broke the uncomfortable silence by mumbling in his sleep, "Not corned beef… Cannons hate it… Need Mr. Schnooples…" Harry and Neville broke out in chuckles, effectively waking the three other boys.

"Whoa, Harry, that you?" asked Dean blearily.

"Yeah," Harry said. He repeated the story he told Neville earlier. "Oh, this is Clark Kent," Harry said, while Clark shook their hands as lightly as he could in his sleepy state. "Clark, meet Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom."

"It's nice to meet you," Clark said.

"Same here," they replied.

Dean asked, "Say, are you our age, 'cause you look a bit older."

"I'm a year older, actually, since I started home-schooling late," Clark answered.

They continued the conversation as they prepared for school in the morning. Luckily, since they already bought their supplies, they were ready, but they still needed a lot of catching up to do. Harry explained things like the teaching system, the House rivalries, while Clark shifted, uncomfortable with the Hogwarts robes that he bought a few months ago.

They went down to the common room waiting for Ginny and Hermione. Ginny was catching up with some of her friends, telling the same story as the boys did. Hermione went down with Lavender Brown, who was sticking with her since she wanted to find some gossip, and with Parvati pulled out by her parents, she was alone. She also had a full summer to get over Ron and start moving on.

"Who's the new hottie? Wasn't he the one in Harry's party at the Weasleys?" said Lavender.

"He's Clark Kent, Harry's cousin. He's an kind of like an exchange student from Kansas," said Hermione.

"Is he single?" Lavender asked boldly.

"I don't know. You better ask him," Hermione said, as if challenging her. Personally, she didn't think that Clark would go for the flirty airhead girls, and thought that there was already someone else back in the town where he came from, Smallville. Then again, he never really talked much about his love life.

"Alright, then, I will." Lavender walked over to where Harry and Clark were standing, Hermione watching her. "Hello, Harry," Lavender said perkily, then turning to Clark. "I don't believe we've met. My name's Lavender Brown, and you are?"

Clark visibly stiffened while Harry struggled to contain his laughter at Clark's demise. "Clark Kent," he said with a forced smile, his voice strangely changing to a slightly higher pitch.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Clark. I hope you find it wonderful here," she said, going from perky, to flirty. She tossed her hair and bit her lip on the side. "So, are you single?"

Man, this girl was _forward. _"Uh… yea-no. I have a girlfriend back in Smallville" He wasn't being exactly honest there. At the moment, he was single and to be truthful, it was sort of a relief. Maybe, he'll get a girl when he was ready for another relationship but definitely not with Lavender Brown. Heck, he'd date Lois Lane before Lavender, and that was saying something.

"Oh," was all that Lavender said, as she tried to hide her disappointment. "Right. Catch you later, Clark." She left after that.

"You should have seen your face, Clark. It said 'Holy Shit! I'm trapped by an evil monster!'" Harry sniggered. "Now you know the feeling of being chased around by Romilda Vane."

Lavender bumped into none other than Ron. "Oh, sorry," she said nonchalantly, as Ron stiffened. Apparently her new tactic was to ignore him. Ron breathed when she left.

"Looks like Lav-lav's trying out a new battle strategy," Ginny said. She saw it all from the staircase.

"And it looks pretty good for you too. No need to duck behind gargoyles to avoid her," said Hermione.

"Oh really? At least I don't have to be her advisor. It looks like you're stuck with her and her girlfriends for the rest of the year, planning how to hit on me," Ron teased.

"What? Where the bloody hell did you get that idea? Just because she was stupid enough to be attracted to you once doesn't mean the whole female population has that eye sickness," Hermione rejoined.

"Well, sorry, your Highness. I did not mean to offend your indisputable ego!" retorted Ron.

"Er, guys? Breakfast is about to end in ten minutes…" Harry muttered. Ron glanced with a shocked look at his watch, and bolted down straight to the Great Hall before anyone could say "food."

They arrived just in time to hear McGonagall announce their presence and the circumstances by which Clark had come. They dug in as quickly as possible so that they would not be late for class, which happened to be Potions.

Professor Slughorn welcomed his class with a cheerful smile. "Ah, here's Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, and… Mr. Kent. I heard you would be joining the class today, and I'm very glad to have you here. Now… I would like to tell you that we are doing an experiment today. It is something not yet proven by scientists, muggle or magical. This came from the 1954 meteor shower in England. It has several unknown properties that until today are not defined. Some say that it has caused a few strange occurrences, similar to that of the 1982 meteor shower in Smallville, which is a heavier version of our meteor shower. So today, I would like you to find out what happens if this meteorite is submerged in a Strengthening Solution for over twenty minutes then administered to the white rats in that cage."

Harry and Clark immediately looked sick to their stomachs, once they saw the Kryptonite. "Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked in concern, her eyes furrowed.

"I'm fine, 'Mione. I probably didn't sleep that well or something," Harry excused.

"If you're sure… You and Clark don't look so good," she muttered.

"We'll be fine, Hermione," Clark assured, his smile forced.

"Maybe you should go to the hospital wing," Hermione urged. "Come on." They had no choice but to follow her out as she excused the two of them and sent them to the hospital wing. After leaving a good distance from the classroom, the two Kryptonians immediately felt better, but they went along with Hermione. She pushed them through the doors of the hospital wing and closed them. Madame Pomfrey immediately spotted them.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, Mr. Kent. As much as I am happy to see you, I am not happy to find you in the hospital wing. What has happened this time, Harry?" she asked sternly.

"Nothing. Hermione's just being a bit protective, that's all. We just felt a little dizzy," Harry replied.

"Ms. Granger must have a reason to bring you two to me. You take a rest for the morning and you may go to class in the afternoon," said the nurse, who surprised them. She was actually being lenient this time.

"Great, it's my first day at school and I already get to miss classes," Clark grumbled.

Hours after waiting in the hospital wing in boredom, it was finally lunchtime. Ginny, after hearing the news from Ron went off to the hospital wing to see them. "You two okay?" she asked them.

"Yeah, Gin. Never better," replied Harry.

"But what brought you here this time?" she asked.

"Really, Ginny. It was nothing. I just got a little dizzy," he said.

"It's not… your scar, is it?"

"Oh, no. I don't think it will be hurting anytime soon. Voldemort is using Occlumency now."

"Then what happened, Harry? You don't go dizzy just like that."

At this moment, Clark was putting himself as far away as possible from the arguing couple. It reminded him of when he and Lana fought about keeping secrets.

"I understand that you're concerned, Ginny, but this is nothing to worry about," said Harry, starting to get agitated.

"Look, Harry. I want us to be honest with each other. What really happened that made Hermione put you two here? Do you remember what happened in Godric's Hollow? What happened in there that made you double up like that? If it's repetitive, then we have to find the cause, and I won't accept some excuse like you two being struck by a random heat wave."

"I appreciate it, Ginny, but I'd rather that I handle it myself. It's not your–. It's nothing," Harry nearly snapped,

Ginny's eyes held hurt, but she remained strong, closing her eyes from a moment before opening them with a sigh. She said, her words slow, "Very well, then, Harry. If that's what you want, then I'll stay out of it. It's not like it's any of my business anyway," With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

"Whoa, did I miss anything?" Hermione asked from the door. "Ginny just… oh. Well, Harry, Clark, I brought you your potions homework. Here's the meteorite, but you've got to make the Strengthening Solution yourself somewhere, then submit it to Slughorn tomorrow." She laid the Kryptonite on the table. Upon seeing the two boys looking sick once again, she said, "It's happening again, isn't it?" The two guys nodded. "On second thought, I'll just bring this up to the common room for you. You two don't look so good."

She went off, her hands twirling the mysterious rock, inspecting it as the eerie glow diminished while she walked further away from the hospital wing.

"And this day just keeps getting better and better, huh?" Harry asked.

"Damn right," Clark replied.


	11. Defense and Offense

**The Truth is Out There**

**By schizophrenic genius**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to Joan Kathleen Rowling. I don't own Smallville. It belongs to Millar and Gough. And all of them partly belong to Warner Brothers. But none belong to me. Also, the Urban Legend story comes from the Smallville Legder website.

Author's Note: After a lot of deliberation, I put the gang back in Hogwarts. Ideas for making them hunt Horcruxes all year without a break are quickly sapping out, while creative juices for your standard story in Hogwarts are flowing in. I know that I spent a lot of time debating on whether they stay at school or not, so I'm making a mixture between the two. They'll still be "soul-searching," though, so I guess that they won't be stuck in Hogwarts for the rest of the year. But anyway, as per routine, I would like to thank my reviewers, and I hope that you review even more. So SORRY about the long wait, I have a MAJOR writer's block, plus a graduating student's workload.

Chapter 11

Defense and Offense

Hermione's heels clip-clopped across the marble corridors of Hogwarts. She bit her lip, thinking of what to make of the green rock in her hands. Its eerie glow disappeared as soon as she left close proximity to the hospital wing, where Clark and Harry were, but why? Whatever the properties of the meteorite, it was affecting the two boys badly. She had to do something about it. They were not cooperating in helping her solve the mystery so that she could help, and were obviously keeping a secret. This made her even more determined to find out what was it with the cousins and the meteor rocks. Her feet brought her, not to the Common Room, as she had promised, but to the familiar library. She navigated her way like an expert, finally reaching the archives, looking for anything relevant. It was a good thing that Hogwarts decided to put in some Muggle resources a few years ago. She found a rather old issue of _Time Magazine_, depicting a pretty dark-haired young girl in a fairy princess costume, crying as fire raged around her. She read the article.

_Fire from the Heavens to Smallville_

_Little had the citizens of Smallville, Kansas known that their lives would have turned very different an hour before that fateful meteor shower. Death was everywhere. Many people have disappeared and a lot were injured. Mr. and Mrs. Lang were killed when a huge meteorite hit their car, with them right beside it. In their death, they have left young Lana Lang, a young girl merely pretending to be a fairy princess as she played, to the care of her Aunt Nell. That was not the only tragedy. Young Alexander Luthor, a little older than Lana Lang, was hit by a meteorite in the cornfield while his father, Lionel Luthor, transacted with one of the farmers. For some mysterious reason, he was found completely bald afterwards. Jonathan and Martha Kent, owners of one of the farms, were lucky; their truck was turned over, and yet they survived unscathed, unlike hundreds of others. The water supply and electric lines of the town has also been hit. Granville and Metropolis have pledged money to help make repairs and give supplies to refugees. _

Hermione sighed. The meteor shower was worse than she thought. She had heard stories from Clark, but seeing the expression on Lana's face made her heart clench. She heard Clark mention her a few times, as well as Lex, Chloe, Pete and Lois. She picked up another newspaper, this one named the Smallville Ledger.

_Urban Legend: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet?_

_By Max Taylor__  
__The Daily Planet_

_In this and future issues, we will reprint four of the famous "Urban Legend" articles that appeared in Metropolis' Daily Planet this summer. _

_Kyle Anderson likes to spend his summer afternoons perfecting his rail slides on the steps in front of the downtown branch of the Bank of Metropolis. His days are usually full of varying degrees of excitement as he and his buddies dodge rent-a-cops and MPD mounted policemen. But last Saturday afternoon, Kyle got a glimpse of something a little more eye-opening than a police filly's hoof inches from his backside. He says he saw a "dude in a ski mask" rob an ATM (Automated Teller Machine). If you are playing along this summer, then you know Kyle got a glimpse of the Urban Legend. _

_"I never saw anything like it," says Kyle, who looks like he's observed quite a few things that are undoubtedly "rad," "dope" and/or "sweet" in his short lifetime. "He just walked up to the ATM and punched his fist right through it. He must have grabbed five grand. One second he's there, the next he's gone." When prompted, Kyle __elaborated, "He just vanished. Dude took off faster than a speeding bullet, yo." _

_As our red-hot summer presses on, few things around town have been more captivating than the almost daily exploits of the Urban Legend. The sightings continue to pour in, and skeptics are slowly being converted to believers. _

_I, for one, am reserving judgment. Is the world ready for--dare I say it--a super man? If all this is real, we as a human race must be ready to embrace the possibility of a paradigm shift in our conventional thinking. In the times of the gods, was the common man so stunned when he saw Hercules or Zeus? It's a question to ponder as we brace ourselves for what this new millennium has to offer._

As she continued reading more articles, Hermione was becoming increasingly stunned. It was not everyday that you find out such shocking things in the Muggle world, especially in a reclusive town like Smallville. Did these strange things have something to do with Clark? He came from Smallville, anyway. There were too many weird things that happened in Smallville and Metropolis that involved him in one way or another. Dozens of eyewitness accounts saw him at the scene of many crimes, news articles portrayed him showing up along with something strange, and reporters often sing about his heroics, along with his friends. Obviously, this was something the Muggles would call paranormal, and wizards would call magic. And with all the strange reports, Clark was obviously using his magic to maybe help, harm or probably show off. Hermione sincerely hoped it was the first. Still, some things did not make sense. It did not explain how he and Harry would always get sick at the sight of meteor rocks. It did not explain how Clark came out of nowhere and he and Harry were suddenly closer than brothers. Nor did it explain the thief Urban Legend that was in Metropolis, nor the strange burnt symbol on the Kent barn. Wizards had more discreet ways to get what they want. And now, Harry and Clark are constantly lying. Hermione knew that if there was one thing her best friends were incapable of, it was lying, and that included Ron as well. But what are they lying about? Why would Clark keep secrets such as saving people, when he did good things with his magic? So many questions…

The time came when Hermione spent the entire afternoon in the library. Ron poked his head in. "I knew I'd find you here. Have you been here for the past five hours? You should eat. Everyone's looking for you at dinner." His expression quickly turned from anxiety to relief.

Hermione smiled. She was touched by Ron's worry. "I didn't know I was in there for that long. Just let me put these articles back." She finally got out of the library, but her mind was working furiously. They reached the Great Hall without much event.

"Where have you been, Hermione? Dinner started an hour ago!" Ginny asked.

"Just the library, Ginny. You know me. It's nothing to worry about."

"Are you okay, Hermione? You look like something's bothering you," Harry asked. He was still not on the best terms with Ginny, so he took a seat beside Ron, avoiding eye contact with his girlfriend.

"Oh, there's just this question in Arithmancy that I can't figure out…" Hermione effectively replied. Her face obviously was subconsciously portraying her puzzlement. They immediately dropped it. Hermione glanced at Clark, who was previously talking to Neville about Herbology. She caught his eye, and he returned her gaze evenly. She wondered what Clark's secret was. Whatever it is, he was hiding it well. Clark then dropped his gaze, pretending that nothing was wrong with the look Hermione gave him. It was unnerving. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought Hermione was using Legimency, if not for her well-known perceptiveness.

Out of nowhere, Professor McGonagall went to their table. She peered at them through her spectacles then she smiled. "I am glad to see you all here, Mr. Kent, Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. But I would like to inform you that you would all have a lot of catching up to do. These," she said, laying down a big bunch of paper, "are assignments given to you by your teachers. We discussed it last night and decided that it would be fair for the rest of the students if you do extra work in compensation for the past month's absences." It was composed of a load of essays and term papers. Harry and Ron groaned, but Hermione looked at them sternly. Just like old times. It was too bad that there were some issues between the members of the group that still needed to be resolved.

The following day was the same as the previous night. Harry avoided Ginny, and Ginny ignored Harry as if they did not realize each other's presences. Ginny still felt hurt about Harry's lack of openness, while Harry avoided Ginny because he knew it was his fault that he wasn't telling her his secret and that Ginny would still be mad at him, even if he didn't know how to rectify that fault. Clark still noticed Hermione looking at him and Harry rather oddly. She was biting her lip in deep thought with a look in her eyes as if they were a puzzle she had to solve and she was in the midst of trying to solve it. Ron was confused at the behavior of his friends. When he asked what was up with them, they all said nothing.

To keep himself occupied, rather than dwelling on his argument with Ginny, Harry decided to immerse himself in work. It was easier to go around not having to think of the things he said or not said to Ginny. So he read his books, practiced his spells and memorized his potions. It was easy for him to memorize, he found, since once he read a page for about ten seconds, it would stick to his mind forever. He never had to take notes ever again. He found himself wishing he came to his powers earlier. He could have used this photographic memory to get all Outstandings in his O.W.L.s. Still, it was useful in the Charms written quiz that Professor Flitwick gave them in the afternoon. When it came to Tonks and Remus, however, his photographic memory was not much help. Everything was nearly practical. But his inhuman strength and speed took over in that department, he quickly realized, as he entered their classes.

In Tonks' class, everyone filed in as per routine. Harry noticed that the desks, instead of being aligned in the center of the classroom, were lined alongside the walls, giving space to the magically enlarged center. The center seemed to have been sunken into some sort of arena, but with padding along the walls and emergency exits. Harry felt his excitement increase. Just then, Tonks marched into the unusual classroom amongst the students, who all had their wands out. A good sign.

"Good morning, class," Tonks hollered.

"Good morning, Professor Tonks," the class recited perfectly, especially after all that practice with Umbridge and Snape.

"As most of you know, we have some old students who will join us today, namely Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Clark, whom I have yet to meet," Tonks announced. "But, given our Trio's… track record, I'm sure you four will all catch up just fine." Tonks winked at Harry discreetly.

"Now, who can tell me what our lesson was yesterday?"

Hands were reluctantly raised. To Harry's pleasant surprise, Neville's hand was among them.

"Yes, Neville?" Tonks asked, smiling jovially.

"Er, we were starting on Chapter Three: Creative Offense. Last time, we were in part 3.1, Manipulating the Opponent," Neville said a little timidly.

"Good. Five points to Gryffindor. Manipulating the opponent can sometimes be simple such that everyone can do it. There are many ways. You can talk and humor him to buy more time to escape. You can insult the person so much say for example, about his pockmarked face being mistaken as a beehive." The class laughed. "It makes his judgment clouded. Another way it so get the villain to monologue about how he will reign in your death, about how powerful he is, how inevitable your defeat is, or how there is no way you can escape your fate. You usually get those from the moronic, amateur Death Eaters. It puts them off guard. However, most Death Eaters don't fall for that anymore. And most unfortunately, neither will You-Know-Who." At this, Tonks sighed. She continued, "This is where the complexities come along." She looked around the class. Everyone was listening with rapt attention, especially Hermione, who was staring unblinkingly at her.

"This is where battle strategy comes in. Think of it as a chess game. You have to protect the king. You have pawns, that while may be disposable, can become a queen if they cross the board. You have the knights. They alone can move in an L, giving them an advantage. You have the queen, the most powerful of them all, usually the one to defeat the opponent's king." Tonks glanced at Harry. "You need to set up distractions to the opponent, making sure to let the opponent know the danger only when he or she is unable to escape. Turn your pawns into queens, your weaknesses into your strengths. Do not let the opponent see any loopholes. Make sure that you can see the outcomes of you every move and your opponent's every move. And most of all, make sure you own the white pieces, the offensive side, the fighting side. To be honest, this class should be called Offense Against the Dark Arts. After all, the best defense is a good offense, isn't it? Not the other way around," Once again, Tonks paused. Harry observed and appreciated her teaching style. She obviously knew what she was talking about. "Now, I want you to give out suggestions on how to defend this school and possibly fight if worse comes to worst. You will make yourselves your own battle strategies for Hogwarts. You all know what happened last year. You should make yourselves ready, especially with the recent death of our former Headmaster. This will be our project for the year. We shall combine your ideas, then assign committees to set them up. Think of it as a way to set up your own curriculum."

Clark was reminded heavily of Lex. If there was anything his former friendship with Lex taught him, it was that life was a big game of chess. He recalled the set his father, Lionel gave him, depicting that of the battle of Troy. It was supposed to make him see the battle from all angles, and discover what would be the wooden horse that the Trojans unknowingly let in.

Neville raised his hand. "Maybe we could get training, learn both defensive and offensive spells in a dueling and group situation."

Tonks smiled and wrote it on the board with a flick of her wand. "I was hoping you'd say that, because that is the main part of what I intend to teach you."

Ernie Macmillan raised his hand and stood pompously. "I would like to propose a dueling tournament, so that we can all have a good initiative to train. Also, the winner is exempted from the finals." People cheered at his proposal, and he bowed portentously. Tonks bit her lip to keep from laughing as she wrote it down.

"Let us separate ourselves according to specialty. Say for example, in a battle, those who can fly attack airborne, those efficient in healing help out Madame Pomfrey, those competent at casting offensive spells be on the ground, fighting the Death Eaters, while others protect the younger years and a few go off to fight You – I mean, V-Voldemort," Ron blurt out. The class was silent, a few shivered, but Hermione looked at him proudly as he blushed.

"I understand. Hogwarts is the safest place to be, and we must all do our utmost to defend it, even if it means danger, for if we don't, things could only get worse," Tonks said, "but you must also remember, you have the teachers here alongside you, possibly the Ministry, and you are not alone in defending yourselves. Please, before rushing into anything, tell us, and we will do our best to help. Now, is there anything else you might like to add? How about you, Harry?"

"I think that we should also add more wards to the school. I know from experience that once a wizard dies, his enchantments go with him. We could set up magical barricades, anti-portkey wards, anti-floo wards, booby traps, and… the destruction of all kinds of vanishing cabinets," Harry answered. "We could ask Fred and George to set up the booby traps for us," he added as an afterthought.

"Excellent idea, Harry. I can only imagine Fred and George at work. How about you, Clark? I would like to hear your opinion."

"Um, Voldemort," Clark began, everyone flinching, "thinks that Muggles are below him, right? What if we use this to our advantage, and employ Muggle means of fighting. Maybe not nuclear bombs, but a less violent means like hand-to-hand combat, tranquilizer darts, poison gas, and other things."

Tonks grinned at this. "Wonderful suggestion, Clark. Turning the underestimated pawn into a queen. I would also like to point out that as much as I would like to see those idiots called Death Eaters in hell, our objective is to hand them over to the authorities, except maybe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, whom we all know will escape and wreak havoc once again. Now, I would like to start with Neville's suggestion, the main course of the subject. Now, in a group fight, you possess many advantages such as teamwork, a greater amount of muscle, as well as more brains. I'll leave you to group yourselves in any way you want, as long as you will end up in groups of four."

Automatically, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Clark grouped together. They needed all the practice they could get to work as a team.

"Alright," said Ron, "when we fight against the other group – no doubt the Slytherins – we pair off into duels. It's a pity, really, since Malfoy's gone. It would have been fantastic to see Harry beat him to a pulp…"

"I'm sure it is, Ron, but we'd better get to the task at hand," Hermione cut off, as he saw Ron and Harry starting to daydream.

"Er… right. So, any ideas?" Ron asked the group.

"How about surrounding them – Napoleon style," one of them replied. More ideas came to mind, and eventually, everyone in the class was ready.

As predicted, Tonks automatically paired the Gryffindors with the Slytherins, figuring that they would fight their best when faced with their rivals.

Hermione faced off with Millicent Bulstrode, who thought that the girl would be easy with her petite frame. Harry though, thought that Bulstrode would need all the luck she could get in surviving against the most intelligent girl in their year, knowing thrice the amount of spells the Slytherin knew. Pansy Parkinson was eyeing Ron with an expression mingled with dislike and taunting. Ron returned it with a withering glare in her direction, his hand already in his robe, itching to hex her. Blaise Zabini walked over to Harry, his expression unreadable. Clark was left to duel with Theodore Nott. It was a real pity Malfoy wasn't there. Then again, this lot should be relatively easy to handle.

Tonks quickly explained the rules of the game. "Alright, for one team to win, all of the members of the other team must have become unconscious, helpless, disarmed or have surrendered. There will be no illegal spells or mortal injuries. Neither will there be the harming of the students who are not in the duel. Deliberately doing so will cause you, detention, suspension or maybe even expulsion. Also, you are allowed to use any means necessary, and that includes physical contact. In a real-life situation, there are no rules, simply survival, so all the talents you have will be useful, maybe even potions and other items. Now, position yourselves and bow. Begin on the count of three – one… two… three!"

Spells ricocheted in all directions. Millicent Bulstrode sent a stunner in Hermione's direction, which she blocked effectively. She retaliated with a non-verbal Binding Charm. The larger girl ducked to avoid it and yelled, _"Incendio!" _It narrowly missed Hermione and brushed Ron's leg.

"Hey! I'm dueling Parkinson here!" he yelled at Bulstrode.

Hermione, still focused on her opponent, muttered to Ron behind her, "Sorry, Ron. I'll make sure she's toast for you," as she smiled and fought alongside Ron back-to-back. Hermione didn't see Ron's blushing face, which quickly took a determined expression as he sent a tripping jinx over to Pansy. The result was that she disgracefully skidded across the floor as the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs sniggered.

Harry glanced over Ron and Hermione's direction and smiled. It was so obvious that they had feelings for each other. He only wished everything was going as well with him and Ginny. However, there was no time for those thoughts as Blaise yelled two spells in quick succession. One was a stunner and the other was a stinging hex. Harry had no time to block it as he was sending his own Reductor curse. Instead, he sidestepped them, hoping to regulate his speed to normal. In doing so, he received the brush of the stinging hex, and while it had some effect, it was only a pinprick. Blaise looked impressed, instead of shocked, Harry noted thankfully as he recovered. He silently said in his head _Serpensortia. _A huge green snake, its fangs bared, slithering on the floor, materialized. _"Scare him," _Harry hissed in Parseltongue. The snake proceeded to crawl up Zabini's left leg. His eyes were wide with horror as he tried to pry off the snake, leaving him open to Harry's simple Petrificus Totalus.

The other side of the room found Theodore Nott, who, while rather small for his age, was pretty good at dueling than he let on. He let out an indigo-colored spell that Clark couldn't identify. He ducked quickly, though not at his quickest, as the spell hit the wall. The wall immediately melted as if corroded by acid, though it also singed his hair. With a slight expression of surprise on his face, Clark whispered, _"Reducio!" _It was a harmless spell, but shrinking to Smurf size was not exactly desirable. Nott flailed as he found himself falling without his feet leaving the ground, everything else becoming taller and humungous. Clark picked him up gently and put it on one of the desks. He looked at everyone else. Harry was helping Hermione and Ron fight Pansy and Millicent, putting a Tickling charm behind the enormous girl, making her stay in the same place and become an easy target.

Hermione nodded gratefully unleashed a multitude of spells mercilessly. _"Tarantallegra! Densaugeo! Furnunculus!" _Then she rounded on the girl and with a complex wand movement and pop! On the floor where Millicent used to be was now a guinea pig. She winked at Ron and muttered another spell, and soon enough, the small, furry guinea pig was flying in circles, sometimes bouncing off the walls.

Harry laughed at the recreated scene where the fake Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret and bounced him up and down the hallways. It was a mistake, for the moment he was off-guard, Blaise was now on his feet, ready to punch Harry from behind. When he did, he yelled and caught the attention of everyone around them. His hand started to swell, and Harry, in a panic, sent him a stunner. He fell backwards over poor Pansy who was nursing her bleeding knee and overly long green hair. In seconds, Ron was towering over the two of them, his wand poised, while his teammates joined him.

"Congratulations, Ron, Hermione, Clark, Harry! Wonderful job!" Tonks said, smiling all the while. "Just a question, how did you manage to stay unhurt when Mr. Zabini punched you?"

Harry cursed inwardly. Clark fidgeted. Apparently, Zabini's pain when he punched Harry was obvious to the spectators. To his surprise, Hermione spoke up.

"Oh, it was just this Strengthening Solution, professor. We brewed too much of it for Potions homework and thought it could be useful," she said flawlessly as she glanced at the two brothers. All the boys turned to her in barely concealed shock, Ron being the most obvious. She elbowed Ron discreetly, saying to the professor, "I hope it's alright. I mean, you did say it was okay to use potions." From her pocket, she produced a small vial full of deep blue liquid labeled STRENGTHENING SOLUTION.

"Of course it's alright. It's a very good sign of your presence of mind too. Ten points to Gryffindor, then!" Tonks replied good-naturedly.

"How come you never gave me any Strengthening Solution, Hermione?" Ron demanded.

"It only occurred to us to drink it when we were already dueling, Ron! Didn't you see us?" Hermione defended. Harry heard her heartbeat increase to an irregular rhythm. She was lying, on their behalf. His own heartbeat sped up, knowing that Hermione had some idea that they weren't, well, normal. How did she know?

"But you could have at least – oh, alright. Maybe you couldn't have given it in the middle of the fight," Ron admitted. Hermione smiled at Ron's rare show of consideration and understanding. Ron smiled tentatively back. Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, and the beginning of lunch break. Ron immediately set off into the Great Hall. Hermione was about to follow him, but Harry held her back.

"Hermione, we need to talk," Clark said.

"I know," she replied, her face displaying no surprise.


End file.
